VIRUDHUNAGAR: A Karuppasamy (27) and his wife K Lakshmi (25), like any other day, hopped onto their two-wheeler on Tuesday morning to leave for work at Gokulesh Fireworks in Chinnakamanpatti. The couple had left their two children — K Karuppan (4) and K Iniya Sree (1) — in the care of Karuppasamy’s 65-year-old mother. But neither the couple nor their family members were aware of how the following few hours were going to gravely affect them.
Around 8.30 am on Tuesday (July 1), an explosion occurred at the cracker unit, allegedly due to the mishandling of pellets by workers, killing 10 individuals, including Lakshmi, and injuring three others, including Karuppasamy. I had been working just a few rooms away from my wife when I heard the explosion, said Karuppasamy. “In a few seconds, before I could even understand what was going on, everything was over,” he said. Karuppasamy, who has been working in cracker units for 10 years since his father’s demise, told TNIE, “Due to our financial situation, I asked Lakshmi to work, which is how she ended up taking the job.” The couple, married five years ago, was earning a total of Rs 4,500 a week. While Karuppasamy is hospitalised, his two children still remain at home, in the care of their grandmother.
Meanwhile, N Alaguchithra (26) from Srevaikaranpatti is still struggling to come to terms with the sudden death of her husband — Nagapandi (28), another victim of the blast. One of her relatives said, “Five years ago, the couple fell in love and got married. Just 45 days ago, they celebrated the birth of their child at the government hospital, the very place where Nagapandi’s autopsy has been carried out.” The relative added that Alaguchithra has been receiving treatment for heart ailments for years.
Devastated by the losses, the victims and their family members are also deeply worried about their children’s future. Karuppasamy said, “I couldn’t study beyond Class 10, so I did not have an option to take up a different job. Now, with the injuries, I will not be able to work at a cracker unit again or do any other manual labour for the rest of my life,” he said.
An official, seeking anonymity, said that in addition to the government providing compensation and sponsoring for the education of the victims’ children, the owner of the cracker unit should also be required to provide a fixed financial compensation allotted by the government around Rs 20 lakh, taking into account the young age of many of the victims.
Following the accident at the cracker unit, several protests were staged, demanding that the state government increase the compensation amount.
Virudhunagar cracker blast toll touches 10
Virudhunagar: The death toll in the Chinnakamanpatti cracker unit blast has touched 10, as Azhaguraja (28), who had sustained 100% burns, succumbed to injuries at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai on Saturday. Three other workers, who were injured in the blast, have been receiving treatment. On Tuesday (July 1), an explosion occurred at Gokulesh Fireworks in Chinnakamanpatti near Sattur, allegedly due to the mishandling of pellets by workers.