An explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Vellaiyampatti, Kuppanur village, near Ayodhiyapattinam in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday morning, resulted in the death of one worker and left three others injured. The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. when four workers were unloading raw materials from a vehicle. A spark reportedly ignited the materials, leading to a powerful explosion that caused the entire unit to collapse.
Emergency services quickly responded to the scene, containing the fire and rescuing the injured workers, who were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. A detailed investigation into the cause of the explosion is ongoing.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 3 lakh to the family of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to those injured.
This incident follows a similar tragedy last month in Thiruvalankadu, Mayiladuthurai, where a blast at a small-scale firecracker facility claimed the life of a 27-year-old worker and left three others severely injured. The blast was attributed to the mishandling of combustible raw materials.
The district collector ordered the transfer of the injured workers, who sustained burns over 80% of their bodies, to the Government Tiruvarur Medical College for urgent treatment. The fire was extinguished within 30 minutes by firefighters.
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