Seven people were killed and two are grievously injured after an explosion inside a firecracker factory in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district on Friday. The factory owner also died in the explosion, the police said.
The factory is located in Kattumannarkoil town of the district, 190 km from the state capital Chennai. The intensity of the blast was such that it completely damaged and brought down the structure.
Police and firefighters were rushed to the accident site and a probe has been launched to find out what caused the explosion. Visuals showed shell-shocked people crying near the debris of a concrete structure that collapsed in the explosion. Bodies could be seen lying around.
Cuddalore SP M Sree Abhivan told News 18.com that a preliminary inquiry has revealed that mishandling of chemicals may have resulted in the explosion. The accident happened at a time when the state government has allowed industries to resume work with 100 per cent workforce amid the coronavirus crisis.
"In the wake of the explosion, we are going to have a special drive to check all the fireworks goddown in the district. We have always had a mechanism to check these goddowns quarterly. We are going to strengthen it as one of the fireworks unit exploded today," he added
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