Virudhunagar: 13 killed in massive explosion at fireworks factory

VIRUDHUNAGAR: Nearly 13 workers were killed in a massive blast reported in a fireworks unit situated in Kattanarpatti in the Virudunagar district.Senior police officials said that at around 3 pm on Sunday, a firework unit near Kattanarpatti reportedly blasted.

On receiving information from the public, police and fire and rescue personnel rushed to the spot and started dousing the fire.Further, rescue efforts are underway. Rescued individuals were shifted to a nearby government hospital.So far 13 have died, and preliminary information says it's a licensed firework unit named "Vanaja Fireworks" that added the official.Vachakarapatti police are conducting an investigation into the incident.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed his condolences on X post and said that, “I have requested the Ministers K K S S R Ramachandran and Thangam Thennarasu to rush to the scene immediately to expedite and monitor the rescue operations and to offer solace to the affected families. Upon learning of this, I contacted the District Collector and instructed them to coordinate all necessary assistance”.