Major Accident at Sivakasi fire-cracker factory, 38 dead
Posted on: 05/Sep/2012 2:56:02 PM
At least 38 people people are reported dead and more than 50 have been injured in a huge fire at a fire-crackers factory in Mudalipetti, near Sivakasi.
There are fears that the toll could rise. Over 300 people are believed to have been inside the factory, Om Siva Sakthi Crackers, when the fire broke out.
There is no confirmation on how many could escape the building. Forty of the building`s 60 rooms are reported to be gutted. The fire has also spread to a godown about 200 feet away.
Ten fire tenders have been sent to the spot, but they are yet to reach the building. They are moving cautiously towards the building as explosions are feared. Huge gusts of fire are billowing out of the building.
Sivakasi is the main centre of India’s firecracker industry with about 8,000 factories producing 90 percent of the total fireworks output of the country.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa will visit the site on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday condoled the deaths of persons in a fire mishap at Sivakasi and announced a cash relief of Rs 2 lakhs each to next of kin of those killed.
The relief to the families would be given from the Chief Minister’s General Relief Fund.
