6 killed in chemical blast at firecracker unit in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar

Tamil Nadu blast: The explosion is believed to have occurred during the chemical mixing process

Atleast six workers lost their lives in an explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday.  

 

The blast, believed to have occurred while chemicals were being mixed, destroyed at least one room and resulted in the fatalities. Officials confirmed that the fire and rescue department has extinguished the blaze at the scene. 

  The exact cause of the explosion remains unclear, but police said that it may have been triggered by either a power leakage or friction between explosives during firecracker preparation.  

 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin extended his condolences to the bereaved families and announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for each victim's family.

LPG tanker overturns in Coimbatore

This incident occurred just hours after an LPG tanker overturned on the Avinashi Road flyover early Friday morning, causing a minor gas leak, as reported by Coimbatore district collector Kranthi Kumar Pati.

 

The tanker overturned after becoming detached from the truck while the driver was navigating the flyover's roundabout. Fortunately, there were no injuries, the collector stated. The accident caused temporary traffic disruptions in the city’s central area. As a safety measure, schools within a 500-metre to one-km radius of the site were instructed to close for the day.

 

Following the driver's report of the incident, police quickly responded, halted traffic, and averted a potentially larger disaster, the collector added.

 

Firefighters and rescue teams sprayed water on the tanker, which was transporting 18 tonnes of LPG from Kochi in Kerala to a BPCL bottling plant in Ganapathy, Coimbatore.

 

(With agency inputs)