At least eight persons have been reported killed in two separate incidents at firework units in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district on Tuesday, news agency PTI cited police officials as saying.
While seven people lost their lives in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Sivakasi, another man was killed in a separate fire incident at a firework unit in Kammapatti village. News agency ANI reported nine people dead while several media reports pegged the death toll at 11, including women.
“Seven charred bodies were recovered from the sudden blast at the fireworks unit in Sivakasi and their identities are yet to be established,” a senior police official told PTI. The police suspect that they could be workers, he said.
Personnel from the police and fire departments have been pressed into service, authorities said.
More details are awaited.