Hyderabad: The recent fire incident that took place at the firecracker factory in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar claiming 19 lives has once again put the spotlight on the firecracker factory explosions in the country.
Police said the fire in the factory broke out when some chemicals were being mixed to produce firecrackers. Four cracker making sheds were destroyed.
This was not the first incident
Tamil Nadu, which has witnessed most of the fire incidents in the firecracker factory in the past, has once again become a matter of concern as the vulnerable factories are claiming numerous lives, despite the state government implemented stringent regulations.
Sivakasi- a town in Virudhunagar District of Tamil Nadu is famous for its firecracker, matchbox and printing industries. The industries in Sivakasi employ over 2,50,000 people with an estimated turn over of Rs 20 billion.
What causes the fatal incident
According to reports, the factories employs children under the age group of 14 years, which makes the situation worse.
The district has witnessed several horrific incidents of fire among which the 2012 factory explosion is considered as the most fatal as 40 people were killed and 70 severely injured. Reports suggest that the tragedy occurred in a fireworks factory which did not have a valid licence.
Here is a list of some of the major firecracker factory explosions in India
September 2005: Bihar: 35 killed 50 injured in three illegal firecracker factories at Khusropur village.
August 2006: Uttar Pradesh: Cracker Factory Explosion: Seven workers, including children, were killed and 10 others injured in an explosion in a cracker factory in the district
September 2012: Tamil Nadu: Explosion in a private firecracker factory at Sivakasi kills 54, injures 74
November 2012: Auraiya (Uttar Pradesh): Eight persons, including six members of a family were killed and 12 others injured on Tuesday in an explosion in a house where fire-crackers were being manufactured illegally for the Diwali festival. The explosion took place at the house in Yaqoobpur town in Bela police station.
