NEW DELHI: At least seven people were killed and five injured in an explosion at a firecracker factory near Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. The blast occurred at a factory in Chinnakamanpatti.The injured have been admitted to a government hospital for treatment.“Four people died and five others were injured in an explosion at a firecracker factory in Chinnakamanpatti near Sivakasi. They were admitted to the Virudhunagar government hospital for treatment. More details awaited,” Virudhunagar district SP Kannan told news agency ANI.Last year, after a similar blast in Sivakasi killed ten people, a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) team, acting on the direction of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), conducted an inspection of the unit and identified a range of serious violations and safety hazards.
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The factory was licensed only to produce sound-emitting firecrackers. However, inspection revealed that it was illegally manufacturing fancy fireworks without necessary structural facilities. Due to insufficient space, the unit resorted to storing raw materials in open areas and between sheds, violating safety norms. The CPCB report highlighted this lack of space as a critical factor that contributed to unsafe conditions within the factory.Another major safety lapse involved the handling of colour pellets, which are known to decompose automatically. The CPCB team found that these pellets were dried under sunlight rather than in the shade, resulting in an increased risk of fire.Sivakasi, a town in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district, is widely known as the firecracker capital of India. It contributes approximately 90 per cent of the country’s firecracker production, with around 8,000 factories operating there and employing around 800,000 people, making it the country’s largest manufacturing hub for fireworks.
