MADURAI: An explosion at a cracker unit in Sengulam village bordering Virudhunagar district killed six persons and injured two more on Friday, according to sources.
The deceased have been identified as M Veluthai (45) of S Paraipatti, P Lakshmi (40) of Kilaarpatti, K Ayyammal (65) of Kadaneeri, P Suriliammal (50) of Govindhanallur, S Kaleeshwari (35) of Athipatti in Peraiyur, and P Annalakshmi (45) of Kadaneri. The bodies were shifted to the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) for postmortem examination.
The injured persons are: R Sundaramoorthy (39) of Amathur, and P Akkini (45) of Kadaneri. They were taken to the GRH from the government Virudhunagar hospital. According to sources, the cracker unit is owned by A Shanmugaraj (43) of Erichanatham, but has been leased to one Alagarswamy of Amathur.
CM grants solatium
Expressing deep grief over the death of the workers, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each to the bereaved families. Those who have suffered serious injuries would be given Rs 1 lakh each, said the CM.
Cracker unit explosion: Cause yet to be found
The unit’s manager is P Vairam (25) of Kothaneri in Virudhunagar. Around 35 employees were working in the unit, which allegedly manufactured fancy crackers. The unit, however, is licensed to manufacture only a certain variety, sources said. Firemen have doused the flames. Official response Collector TG Vinay said that according to the preliminary investigation, they believed there was no violation of norms in the unit.
He, however, added that only after perusing the detailed report from the fire and rescue services, can they ascertain whether non-permitted crackers were indeed prepared here. The Collector said he has asked officials to check whether the unit employed more workers than it had been permitted to. Superintendent of Police Sujit Kumar said the police would register a case based on inputs from the Revenue Department. Solatium Expressing grief over the death of workers, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each to the bereaved families.
Those who have suffered serious injuries would be given Rs 1 lakh each. Appealing to the cracker units to engage in their works with due precautions, the CM said the Collectors should inspect these units frequently to ensure safety of workers. Minister RB Udhayakumar also visited the injured workers at the GRH. Leaders of various political parties also condoled the death of the labourers.
In a statement, DMK chief MK Stalin expressed shock over the incident, saying that the State should ensure safety of workers at all firecracker units. CPM’s G Ramakrishnan said that the government should order a probe into the matter and also grant Rs 25 lakh as compensation to the families of victims. AMMK’s TTV Dhinakaran also condoled the deaths of the workers.