3 killed in second blast in Sivakasi in 3 weeks

VIRUDHUNAGAR: Barely three weeks after the ghastly fire accident in Sivakasi that claimed 39 lives, another explosion rocked the country’s fireworks hub on Friday, killing three people. The three men were employed in an unauthorized fireworks manufacturing unit functioning out of a house at Vijayakarisalkulam village near Vembaottai, about 25km from the Virudhunagar district headquarters, police said.
The workers were busy making fireworks in a shed behind the house when a blast occurred. All three died on the spot. There was no other worker in the shed.
Police said the explosion did not cause any damage to neighbouring houses or injure anybody else in the vicinity. The victims were identified as Bagyaraj (28), Kumar (45) and Kaliraj (35) of neighbouring Vallampatti village. The house owner, Chellapandian, who is believed to have employed them, is on the run.
“It was an illegal unit. Since we are cracking down on authorized fireworks manufacturing units and conducting frequent inspections, the manufacturers have moved to villages,” Virudhunagar district revenue officer R Raju said. Madurai district fire officer K Karupaiah, holding additional charge of Virudhunagar, said the accident occurred around 10am and the fire had been put out.
"Friction between chemicals used in fireworks could have caused the explosion. Even a small friction could spark a fire," he said.
The accident has come as a jolt to officials who are under pressure to closely monitor the fireworks industry and enforce safety mechanisms following the September 5 explosion at a fireworks manufacturing unit at Mudhalipatti village near Sivakasi.
During raids, officials found violation of safety norms in as many as 50 of the 700-odd authorised firecracker units in the district and issued stop-work notices them. Today's explosion has once again brought to light the fact that manufacturers are adopting illegal means to meet the fireworks orders for Diwali.
Some of the firms have outsourced the work to villagers, who carry out the jobs in their backyard, virtually turning the whole manufacturing process into a cottage industry where accidents are waiting to happen.