The mangled remains of a cargo vehicle on the premises of Sri Lakshmi Fireworks unit, where a blast claimed the life of an autorickshaw driver in Sevalpatti near Sivakasi on Thursday, September 19, 2024
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
An autorickshaw driver G. Govindaraj, 29, from Sevalpatti, was killed on the spot and a worker P. Gurumoorthi, 19, from Sivakasi, was critically injured after a fire broke out at Sri Lakshmi Fireworks unit at Sevalpatti under the Vembakottai police station limits in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu on Thursday (September 19, 2024).
The police said that Govindaraj was unloading materials from his vehicle at the unit when an explosion in the chemical-filling room brought down the fireworks shed at around 9.45 a.m.
The autorickshaw driver was trapped under the debris and was killed on the spot. Fire and rescue personnel rushed to the site to put out the flames and pulled out the body of the deceased.
Gurumoorthi, who was working inside the room, suffered 100 percent burns and was rushed to the hospital.
After the workers of the fireworks unit, licensed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, suspected that another worker was missing from the accident site, the fire and rescue personnel used an earthmover to search under the debris to ensure no one was trapped inside. Whether more people were rescued from the site is yet to be known.
The Vembakottai police have registered a case and are investigating.
Published – September 19, 2024 03:20 pm IST