Six killed in virudhunagar cracker unit blast

A devastating explosion at the Sainath cracker factory in Bommayapuram village near Virudhunagar has resulted in the deaths of six employees and significant damage to the facility.
The blast, which occurred during the mixing of chemicals for firecracker production at around 9:40 AM, destroyed four rooms of the factory, including the chemical and powder mixing rooms, leveling them to the ground.
The factory, owned by Balaji from Alamarathupatti, employed over 150 workers, including 84 who had reported to work on the morning of the incident. The explosion caused severe burns, killing six workers Vel Murugan (54), Kamaraj (37), Nagaraj (37), Kannan, Meenakshi Sundaram (46), and Sivakumar (56)—on the spot. Another worker, Mohammed Sudin, was injured in the blast.
Firefighters from Virudhunagar, Sivakasi, and Sattur responded promptly, extinguishing the fire and rescuing the trapped workers using a JCB machine. 
The Vachakarapatti police have launched an investigation and registered a case against the factory owners and managers, including Balaji, Sasibalan, manager Das, and foreman Prakash, under multiple charges, including causing death by negligence and employing workers without proper safety measures. The police are also searching for the foremen Pandiaraj and Prakash for further questioning to determine the cause of the accident.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the explosion may have been caused by factors such as the illegal leasing of the factory’s license, the use of inexperienced workers in hazardous tasks, and a lack of necessary safety precautions.
In response to the tragedy, Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced a relief fund of Rs. 4 lakh for each of the families of the deceased and Rs. 50,000 for the injured workers.