MAYILADUTHURAI: A 27-year-old worker was killed while three others sustained severe burns in an explosion that occurred at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Thiruvalankadu on Saturday afternoon. The blast, which is suspected to have occurred due to mishandling of combustible raw materials during production, completely gutted the small-scale unit, sources said.
The deceased was identified as U Kannan of Thiruvavaduthurai. As per sources, the blast at the unit registered under the name of Pandiyan occurred around 1 pm. While Kannan died on the spot, V Kaliyaperumal (50) and S Lakshmanan (45) of Thiruvalankadu, and S Kumar (35) of Virudhunagar sustained severe burns. On seeing the manufacturing unit engulfed in flames, residents sent the injured to Mayiladuthurai general hospital.
On information, fire and rescue personnel rushed to the site and doused the flames in about 30 minutes. By then, the factory was almost gutted completely. Collector AP Mahabharathi, DRO M Manimegalai and RDO R Vishnupriya inspected the accident site and met the injured in hospital.
On the collector’s directions, injured with over 80% burns, were shifted to the Government Tiruvarur Medical College. Inspector A Jothiraman of Kuthalam police station, where a case has been registered, said, “The unit was operating for decades. The explosion might have occurred due to mishandling of combustible raw materials during production.”