At least 5 workers killed in Sivakasi firecracker factory blast in Tamil Nadu

At least five workers, including two women, were killed in an explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Chinnakamanpatti near Sivakasi on Tuesday, police said.

The sudden blast triggered a fire that engulfed the facility, leaving several others injured. Thick plumes of smoke were visible from a distance as fireworks continued to detonate inside the burning unit.

Police and fire and rescue services personnel rushed to the site and moved the injured to nearby hospitals for treatment.


“The fire has been brought under control, and efforts are currently underway to clear the debris,” an official from the fire and rescue services department said.

Revenue and police officials have begun an inquiry into the incident to ascertain the cause of the explosion. The private firecracker unit, located in the firework hub of Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district, had several workers inside at the time of the blast.

Sigachi Pharma factory blast kills 34

This incident comes a day after an explosion at Sigachi Pharma’s chemical facility in Telangana’s Sangareddy claimed at least 34 lives, as rescue teams continued efforts to clear debris and locate any remaining survivors.

The blast, which occurred on Monday morning at the Pasamailaram Phase 1 industrial area, flattened large sections of the factory and left more than a dozen workers injured. Officials said around 90 people were present in the affected section at the time of the explosion.

Director General of Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services, Y Nagi Reddy, said authorities are still trying to determine the number of workers trapped under the rubble. “As per industrial experts, the incident happened during the air handling/drying of Microcrystalline cellulose. We are currently unsure of the number of people under the debris,” he said.

Emergency services were alerted at 9:37 am. Eleven fire tenders from stations across Hyderabad and Sangareddy were rushed to the scene. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDF), and fire-fighting robots also joined the multi-agency response.

(With inputs from agencies)