Infant among 3 killed in blast at house used for making crackers

About 10 persons sustained injuries, the police say, quoting eyewitnesses

An employee of a cracker manufacturing firm, a nine-month-old girl child, and an unidentified woman died in an explosion at a house in Pandiyan Nagar in Tiruppur on Tuesday.

The house was reportedly used for the illegal manufacture of fireworks. About 10 persons sustained injuries, the police said, quoting eyewitnesses.

The employee was identified as Kumar, who was in his mid-thirties. While the infant has been identified as Aliashrin, the woman is yet to be identified, said S. Lakshmi, Commissioner of Police, who visited the site of the accident. The explosion had caused noticeable damage to the tiled roofs of the nearby houses.

Karthik and his brother-in-law Saravanakumar, who was using his sister’s house to manufacture crackers, were away at the time of the explosion. Karthik’s wife Sathyapriya has been admitted to a hospital with injuries.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that Saravanakumar had allegedly obtained a cracker manufacturing licence in Erode district and had applied for a renewal. In the meantime, he hired workers to illegally manufacture crackers, the Commissioner said.

The Thirumuruganpoondi police have registered a case under Sections 3 (punishment for causing an explosion that could endanger life or property) and 5A (Forfeiture of Property) of the Explosive Substances Act and Section 9B(manufacturing, importing or exporting) of the Explosives Act. No arrests have been made so far. A team has left for Nambiyur in Erode district in search of Saravanakumar, she added.

District Collector T. Christuraj said the damage to the nearby houses were being assessed and the injured were being treated. Illegal manufacturing of fireworks will be dealt with stringently, he added.

Published - October 08, 2024 09:22 pm IST