DHARMAPURI: In a tragic incident that happened in the early hours of Saturday, an explosion at a residence in Mohanur caused by the combination of fireworks and a gas cylinder explosion led to the death of four people and injured seven people. Over 16 homes nearby also sustained damages in the impact of the explosion reported sources in the Fire Department.
Ahead of New year celebrations, Thillaik Kumar (73), who runs a firecracker shop near Mohanur had stocked up fireworks at his residence for sale without proper safety.
At around 3 am, while Thillaik and his family were asleep the fireworks caught on fire (the cause of which is currently unknown) and immediately the fire spread igniting several crates of fireworks. This subsequently led to the cooking gas cylinder leaking gas and caused a bigger explosion.
Commenting on the accidents, D Sivakumar, Namakkal Station Officer said, The incident occurred at around 3 am when everyone was asleep. Thilak Kumar and his family were caught unprepared and died in the explosion. Due to the wide range of the explosion, the fire and rescue teams from Namakkal and Mohanur immediately dispatched and controlled the fire after several hours of struggle.
Further fire team from Karur also arrived at Mohanur to douse the fire and prevent further damage and injuries . As many as seven people residing in neighbouring homes were caught in the explosion and sustained burn Injuries. The injured are currently seeking treatment in the Mohanur and Namakkal Government Hospital, he said.
Commenting on the cause of the incident, Sivakumar stated, "We are yet to ascertain the cause of the explosion. Currently, we are involved in ensuring that there are no additional structural damages to nearby premises in the area. At present we speculate that the cooking gas cylinder was exposed in the aftermath of the ignition of the firework. We will be holding a comprehensive investigation into the incident. In our initial investigation as many as 16 residences were damaged due to the explosion, among them, a few homes were levelled. "
Police sources added that a case has been booked and an investigation is being conducted. A team of district officials comprising of Revenue, Block Development Officer and senior police officials is involved in investigating the damages. Police added Thillak's wife Priya and mother Selvi had died in the explosion. Also, another woman who lived close to the residence Periyakka (73) has also perished in the explosion, they said.