At least 25 people died in an explosion at a firecracker factory in Virudhunagar, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on Sunday evening. Four others were seriously hurt.
The blast hit the Vanaja Fireworks Industry. The factory was supposed to be shut that day, yet officials said about 50 workers were inside. An eyewitness being treated for injuries told BBC Tamil that around 25 people were working on the veranda in front of the building when the fire broke out. At least three rooms were damaged and parts of the structure were reduced to rubble.
A second explosion went off while rescuers were at work. It injured 13 more people, none with serious burns, District Collector NO Sukhaputra told the news agency ANI. Firecrackers kept going off inside the building, which slowed the rescue considerably. That operation has now ended.
By Monday, district officials had identified 22 of the 25 dead, most of them women. Some reports said the force of the blast left several bodies charred beyond recognition.
The cause is not yet known and an investigation is under way. Police have filed a complaint against the factory owner and foreman, who are both absconding. Four special teams have been set up to trace and arrest them.
Sukhaputra said the factory should not have been operating on a Sunday and called that a “first violation.” The plant held a valid licence, he added, but checks into other possible breaches continue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the deaths “deeply distressing” and offered condolences to the families. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said they had caused “immense sorrow” and that he had told officials to give all necessary assistance.
Accidents at fireworks factories are not uncommon in India. The industry supplies firecrackers for weddings, festivals and other ceremonies, and its safety standards have drawn repeated scrutiny.
