TIRUPPUR: Three persons, including a 10-month-old girl, were killed and 15 others injured on Tuesday after firecrackers, being illegally made for use in temple festivals, exploded inside a house in Pandian Nagar in Tiruppur town. Police have detained the house owner Karthik and his brother-in-law V Saravanakumar, the man behind the unauthorised cracker unit.
While two of the deceased were identified — Kumar (39) of Elumathur, in Nambiyur, Erode district and 10-month-old A Alia Shirin from Pandian Nagar — the third, a woman, remains unidentified. Police suspect she might be the wife of Kumar.
According to police, the two-floored house where the explosion took place is owned by Karthik from Ponnammal Nagar in Pandian Nagar. Three rooms on the first floor were rented out to knitwear workers from Bihar and Odisha. Karthik lived on the ground floor with his wife Sathyapriya and their two college-going sons.
Karthik’s brother-in-law Saravanakumar of Irungalur, in Nambiyur, Erode district, owns a firecracker manufacturing unit in the same area, sources said. According to the authorities, licence for the unit expired last December and Saravanakumar applied for renewal in July. However, he allegedly continued to manufacture firecrackers illegally and sold them for use in temple festivals in nearby villages, sources said. He used Karthik’s house for this purpose and sent workers there everyday, they added.
On Tuesday morning, Karthik, his sons and the knitwear workers had gone out for the day, while Sathyapriya was at home. Kumar was engaged in making the firecrackers at the ground floor of the house when around 11.55 am they exploded.
In the impact of the blast, the grocery store in front of the house was completely destroyed, and all houses within 100m of the blast sustained damage. Thirumuruganpoondi police and fire and rescue services personnel from Tiruppur North and South stations rushed to the spot and embarked on rescue operations.
Kumar and Sathyapriya, who had been trapped were rescued after a two-hour effort. Both sustained serious injuries. Alia Shirin, who was playing in the vicinity, died of severe head injuries at the spot. Rescue personnel also recovered the charred remains of a woman, but are yet to identify her. Kumar later died in the hospital, while Sathyapriya is undergoing treatment with the other injured persons, many of them passersby and children playing near the house.
Meanwhile, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and forensic experts conducted a search and seized a few kilograms of explosives, sources said.
Karthik’s neighbours said they knew nothing of firecrackers being manufactured in the house. Saravanan, an upstairs tenant, said, “I haven’t seen anything related to crackers in the house.” Residents in the area blamed the local police and the intelligence wing for failing to notice the illegal operation.
Speaking to TNIE, City Police Commissioner S Lakshmi said, “Saravanakumar currently does not have a licence to manufacture crackers. However, he has illegally manufactured country-made crackers. He has produced one part of an order at his sister’s house. We suspect the deceased unidentified woman may be Kumar’s wife. Further probe is on.”
Meanwhile, Opposition leader and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has condemned the incident. “I urge CM M K Stalin to find out the cause behind this accident through proper investigation and to ensure the safety of residential areas,” he said.