4 workers killed in cracker unit blast near Kovilpatti

Four workers were killed in an explosion which occurred at a cracker manufacturing unit in Thuraiyoor village near Kovilpatti in Thoothukudi district on Thursday. 

According to sources, the blast occurred when workers were engaged in filling chemicals to make fireworks. The entire building, where the victims were at work, was reduced to rubble. The impact of the explosion was so severe that bodies of two workers were ripped into pieces and two other workers were completely charred. 

District Fire Officer S Kumar, the Fire and Rescue Services personnel swiftly responded to a call received at 2.14 pm and reached to the spot in just 9 minutes, but could only find the bodies after clearing a field of debris at the blast site. Nearly, 14 fire brigades led by Kovilpatti Station Fire Officer Arulraj cleared the bodies, Kumar said.

Collector K Senthil Raj, Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar, Kovilpatti RDO V Sankaranarayanan and Kovilpatti DSP M Uthayasooriyan inspected the accident site.

The victims have been identified as K Jeyaraj (43), G Ramar (59), P Thangavel (49) and V Madamuthu alias Kannan (48). Kovilpatti RDO said broken pieces of a bucket were found at the site indicated that the workers could have carried explosive substances in it, which might have fallen down and caused the deadly explosion. Kovilpatti East police have filed a case and are investigating.