Death toll in TN’s Ariyalur firecracker unit blast rises to 11

With another victim succumbing to his burn injuries, the death toll in Tamil Nadu's Ariyalur firecracker unit explosion rose to 11

Chennai: With another victim succumbing to his burn injuries, the death toll in Tamil Nadu’s Ariyalur firecracker unit explosion rose to 11 on Tuesday.

The dead include three women. This morning, 21-year-old Muruganandam who was admitted to Thanjavur government medical college with 80 per cent burns died.

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According to police, the deceased have been identified as P. Seenu (24), D. Panneerselvam (55), S.Ravi (45), R. Sivakami(45), K. Rasathi (43) and S. Vennila (38), K. Aravilagan (57), U. Shivakumar (50) and V. Anandaraj( 54). The body of a male, which was charred beyond recognition, is yet to be identified.

The factory and godown where the incident occurred on Monday are located at Vetriyur Madura Viragular village. Factory Rajendra (65) and his son in law Arun Kumar (39) have been arrested. Police officers told IANS said that in view of upcoming Deepavali, Rajendran had employed 30 more workers who were working overtime to meet the demands for firecrackers when the incident occurred.

A spark in the explosive components led to the major catastrophe and fire engulfed the cracker unit and the godown premises. While others ran for safety, eleven of them died and more than 20 were injured.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the kin of the deceased and an amount of Rs 1 lakh to those undergoing treatment in various hospitals.