Only 3 of 38 killed in blaze at firecracker unit were workers

As the smoke surrounding yesterday's blaze at the firecracker unit here cleared, a tragic fact was revealed: of the 38 deaths recorded so far, only three were of regular workers of the factory. The rest were villagers from the neighbourhood who had rushed to the spot after the initial blast to save the workers.

A few may have been local villagers who were contracted to work at the factory to cope with the rush owing to the Diwali demand and the order to shut down the unit following cancellation of its licence due to as many as 40 violations found during an inspection last week.

"My son Ponraj, 19, had gone to work for a day as the factory required more workers. A few hours after he left, we heard some minor explosions and finally a loud blast that shook our house. We then came to know that there was a major accident at the factory which killed many including my son," said Soundararajan, an ailing villager. Ponraj was the only earning member of his family.

Aruppukkottai RDO P Gunasekar, who was at the factory premises today, confirmed that only three workers had been identified among the victims. The remaining bodies belonged to villagers in the area, he said.

According to experts who inspected the Om Sakthi Fireworks at Mudhalipatti near Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district, the fire started from a corner of the factory premises at a little past noon. At first, there were minor blasts when the firecrackers caught fire. Hearing these blasts, scores of villagers in the neighbourhood, including some working at similar units nearby, rushed to the factory to help those who may have been trapped inside.

By the time they reached the spot, the fire had spread to other parts of the factory where manufacturing was going on in separate sheds. Some policemen reportedly tried to prevent the villagers from venturing near the unit, pointing out that the fire was still raging and there were chances of bigger explosions.

... contd.

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