Chennai, Aug 9 (IANS) Three people were killed and one seriously injured when an explosion ripped through a house where firecrackers were being made near Vembakottai in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district on Saturday.

According to police, a group of workers was engaged in manufacturing firecrackers inside a house in the Vijayakarishalkulam area when explosives suddenly detonated.

The blast triggered a massive fire, which spread rapidly, causing the partially prepared crackers to explode in quick succession. The impact of the explosion left parts of the building in ruins.

Three people died on the spot, while another sustained severe burn injuries.

The injured person was rescued by the police and rushed to the Sivakasi Government Hospital for treatment.

This latest accident has once again highlighted the recurring safety concerns in the region’s fireworks production units.

Virudhunagar district, particularly the Sivakasi–Sattur belt, is known as the country’s firecracker manufacturing hub, but it has been plagued by frequent accidents caused by unsafe storage of explosives, overstocking, or manufacturing activities being carried out in unauthorised locations such as residential buildings.

Saturday’s incident is the fourth fatal firecracker-related explosion in the district in the past month alone. Collectively, these blasts have claimed 16 lives, raising alarm among safety officials and prompting demands for stricter enforcement of rules under the Explosives Act.

In July, three separate blasts were reported in different parts of Virudhunagar district, each linked to either licensed fireworks factories flouting safety norms or illegal units operating without proper authorisation.

The accidents claimed the lives of workers, many of them daily wage labourers, and left several others injured. Senior police officials have launched an investigation into the latest explosion.

Preliminary inquiries suggest that explosives were being handled without adequate precautionary measures. Officials from the Revenue and Fire Safety Departments have also been roped in to assess the damage and determine the cause of the blast.

Authorities have once again urged fireworks unit owners to strictly follow safety protocols and warned that strict action would be taken against violators.

–IANS

aal/svn