Madurai:The toll in the blast at a fireworks factory mounted to seven on Saturday with two more women workers succumbing to injuries and the manager of the manufacturing facility has been arrested, police said. All seven victims were women.
The blast was triggered when explosive ingredients were handled by workers for the manufacturing process at the factory on Friday. Five workers were charred to death and over five others sustained injuries.
Two women, who fought severe burn injuries, meanwhile, died without responding to treatment at a hospital here, police said, adding the manager of the private unit was arrested.
A probe was on into the blast and efforts are on to arrest the owner of the firm who has gone absconding, police deputy superintendent, (Peraiyur), Mathiazhagan said.
An office-bearer of a Sivakasi based association of firecracker unit workers, Karmegam Pandian, alleged that several units functioned without the proper licence and did not follow mandated safety measures to avoid mishaps. He urged the government to close down such units.