Highlights:
- Fire cracker factory in Tamil Nadu explodes leaving at least 11 dead
- To get the fire under control, ten fire-fighting trucks from several locations were rushed to the spot
- The incident happened in Virudhunagar
In an explosion which took place at a privately owned fire cracker factory in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, at least 11 people lost their lives while 36 others were left injured and the Prime Minister of India has expressed his grief over the blast.
The Prime Minister’s Officer (PMO) tweeted citing PM Modi, “Fire at a firecracker factory in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu is saddening. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover soon. Authorities are working on the ground to assist those affected”.
Fire at a firecracker factory in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu is saddening. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover soon. Authorities are working on the ground to assist those affected: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 12, 2021
The explosion took place at around 1:30 PM at a site around 500 kilometres away from Chennai while some chemicals were being mixed to produce firecrackers, said the police.
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Ten fire-fighting trucks from several locations were rushed to the spot in an attempt to douse the fire at the factory, as reported by the Indian news agency PTI.
Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, announced a compensation of 3 lakh to the families of those who died in the explosion while ₹ 1 lakh will be given to those who were left severely injured.
Additionally, the Central Government also announced compensation of ₹ 2 lakh for the families who dies while ₹ 50,000 to those who were injured.
A tweet from PMO read, “An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each has been approved from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to a fire in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu. Rs. 50,000 would be given to those seriously injured.”
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each has been approved from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to a fire in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu. Rs. 50,000 would be given to those seriously injured.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 12, 2021
