One killed, five injured in yet another fireworks accident in Virudhunagar district

In yet another fireworks accident reported in Virudhunagar district in less than a week, one worker, M. Balagurusamy (50) of Tiruthangal was killed and five others sustained injuries following a blast at Hindustan Fireworks unit at Keezha Thayilpatti on Sunday morning (July 6, 2025.)

The police said the body of the deceased was ripped apart and firemen and police collected parts of his body from different places. Five workers sustained minor injuries, mostly owing to flying debris hitting them while they tried to escape from the accident site. They were all rushed to the Government hospital in Sivakasi.

One of the damaged working sheds at Hindustan Fireworks unit at Keezha Thayilpatti, in Virudhunagar district.
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Special arrangement

Firemen from Sivakasi, led by their Station Officer T. Srinivasan, were keeping a watch at the accident site as strong wind was fuelling the flames. Friction while making aerial fireworks is suspected to have caused the accident at the unit which has a Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation licence.

The police wondered whether the fireworks had obtained permission from the authorities concerned for working on Sunday (July 6, 2025), which is usually a weekly holiday for the fireworks units. With the fire spreading from one to another working shed, following the explosion reported around 8.50 a.m., more than 10 sheds were destroyed by the explosives.

Thick smoke billowing from the scene of accident raised high in to the sky and was visible from several miles away. Following the fatal accident, Virudhunagar District Revenue Officer, R. Rajendran, suspended the sulphur license for the factory. A similar fireworks accident at Gokules Fireworks at Chinnakamanpatti near Sivakasi claimed eight lives on July 1.