Blast case: Four arrested, one surrenders

Virudhunagar: Four people were arrested in connection with the firecracker unit blast at Kattanarpatti, which killed 25 workers. One of the prime accused surrendered before the Virudhunagar court on Tuesday.A senior police official told TOI that Muthu Manickam,44, a resident of Govindanallur village, Sivakasi, surrendered before the Virudhunagar district court. Police arrested Muthuraj,42, of Thummanayakkanpatti, Vairamuthu,29, of Govindanallur, Vetrivel ,28, of and Muthu Krishna Kumar, 33, of Sivakasi separately. He also said that all the 25 victims have been identified. All bodies were handed over to the families."A team of forensic experts, fire and rescue personnel, and authorities from the Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) would conduct a detailed investigation into the accident, and further action will be initiated against the accused upon the outcome of the investigation," the official added.