At least 23 people killed in massive explosion at Virudhunagar firecracker unit
Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): At least 23 people were charred to death, and six others sustained grievous injuries following a massive explosion at a private firecracker manufacturing unit near here, police said on Sunday.
According to police and fire service officials, four of the six injured are in critical condition and are undergoing treatment at the Virudhunagar Government Medical College Hospital.
The explosion occurred at the ‘Vanaja’ fireworks factory owned by one Muthumanickam, in Kattanarpatti near here. The place is located within the Vachakarapatti police station limits.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the unit reportedly holds a license from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur. Over 100 labourers were reportedly engaged in work in the complex.
The blast is believed to have originated in the front veranda area, where workers were allegedly handling raw materials and engaged in the final stages of manufacturing firecrackers.
The impact of the blast was so severe that at least three rooms were reduced to rubble, and several adjacent structures were completely levelled.
"We have recovered 23 bodies so far, many of which were charred beyond recognition," a police official told PTI.
The officials are yet to ascertain the sex of the bodies recovered.
Of the six injured, three are women and have sustained 60 per cent burn injuries, the police official added.
Sources said fire and rescue services personnel battled the flames for several hours. Rescue operations were significantly hampered as crackers continued to burst long after the initial explosion. There are fears that more workers may be trapped under the debris.
This incident marks the deadliest industrial accident in the region this year. It comes just days after a similar blast in the Vembakottai area of the same district that claimed four lives.
Further details are awaited as the search and rescue operation continues.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed his sorrow and said that he sent two ministers to the site to expedite rescue operations.
In a post on X, he said, "The tragic news of the deaths of several people in the firecracker unit explosion that occurred in Kattanarpatti, Virudhunagar district, causes immense sorrow. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives".
"I have requested Ministers K K S S R Ramachandran and Thangam Thennarasu to rush to the site immediately to expedite and monitor the rescue operations and to offer solace to the affected families," he added.
"Upon learning of this accident, I have contacted the district collector and given instructions to coordinate all necessary assistance," he further said.
Conveying his “deep sadness” at the tragedy, Leader of the Opposition of the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, wished a “swift recovery to all those injured".
“These were workers who left home in the morning to earn a living for their families. My thoughts are with the grieving families, and I wish a swift recovery to all those injured,” he wrote on his official X account.
Congress leader and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took to X to convey her condolences.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic explosion at a firecracker factory in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, that has claimed many lives. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. My thoughts are with those injured, and I pray for their speedy recovery,” wrote Vadra.
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Jaishankar concludes Trinidad visit; highlights cultural links, development partnerships
Port of Spain (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted India's close cultural and historical ties with Trinidad and Tobago as he concluded his visit to the Caribbean nation with a series of engagements focused on diaspora outreach and development cooperation.
Jaishankar on Saturday interacted with members of the Indian community and underlined the “special bonds” shared with the Girmitya community, descendants of Indian indentured labourers who had migrated to the Caribbean during the colonial era.
"Concluded my visit with an interaction with the Indian community. Underlined the special bonds with the Girmitya community and discussed nurturing it further," he said in a social media post.
Jaishankar said India is a “reliable and trusted partner”, responsive to the needs and aspirations of Trinidad and Tobago.
According to the website of the Indian High Commission here, approximately 143,000 indentured workers from the Indian subcontinent migrated to Trinidad between 1845 and 1917. A vast majority of these Indian emigrants came from northern India and Bihar.
The descendants of those indentured workers, now in their fifth or sixth generation, form nearly 40-45 per cent of the total population of 1.36 million (as of 2024), constituting an integral part of the country's economic, political, and social fabric, it states.
Jaishankar had arrived in Port of Spain from Paramaribo on Friday on the concluding leg of his three-nation tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at deepening India’s engagement with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier on Saturday, Jaishankar visited the Dattatreya Mandir, where he offered prayers for the well-being of the people and for stronger India-Trinidad and Tobago relations.
The Dattatreya Mandir is a prominent Hindu temple in central Trinidad known for housing an 85-foot statue of Lord Hanuman.
In another post on X, the minister described his interaction with the Indo-Trinbagonian community in South Trinidad as a “home away from home”.
“A real pleasure to be among the Indo-Trinbagonian community in South Trinidad. The kinship was expressed in so many ways. And the affection, in even more,” he said, while thanking Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for the experience.
Jaishankar also launched a permanent prosthetics centre in Penal town jointly with Persad-Bissessar, following the success of India's Jaipur Foot camp in the country that benefited over 800 persons with disabilities.
The Jaipur Foot is a low-cost prosthetic limb initiative that has helped thousands of differently-abled people across the world regain mobility.
Describing the prosthetics centre as a “people-centric project”, Jaishankar, in a social media post, said it is a "gift of mobility and dignity for Trinidad and the wider CARICOM (Caribbean Community and Common Market) region."
