At least 23 workers, most of them women, were killed in an explosion at a fireworks factory in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state on Sunday, authorities said.
The blast tore through the factory near Kattanarpatti village in Virudhunagar at around 3.20pm. There were nearly 100 people on site at the Vanaja Fireworks unit when the explosion occurred. The workers were reportedly mixing chemicals, police said.
The force of the blast and the ensuing fire flattened at least four sheds, sending plumes of smoke 50ft into the air.
“The explosion was so powerful that three rooms were reduced to rubble and several adjacent structures were also damaged,” a police officer said.
District collector N O Sukhapatra said rescue crews had recovered 23 bodies from the rubble and that six injured workers were being treated at a local government hospital, four of them in critical condition.
A second explosion later in the evening, triggered as rescue workers were clearing the rubble with an earthmover, injured 17 people, including six policemen and four firemen.
Officials said the factory appeared to be operating in violation of multiple safety norms despite holding a licence.
“The factory was not supposed to function on a Sunday. We will initiate stern action after a detailed inquiry,” Mr Sukhapatra said, adding that the licence would be cancelled.
The owner, the wife of a former village council head, is reportedly absconding.
Further violations were alleged by the Firecrackers and Matchbox Manufacturers Association district president PN Deva, who said the unit was permitted to employ only 25 workers but many more were present at the time of the blast.
He said regulations restricted chemical mixing to between 8am and 10am, yet the explosion occurred hours later, suggesting operations continued throughout the day.
Many bodies were charred beyond recognition and some remained to be unidentified.
A family member of a victim told the news agency ANI that she lost both her father and mother in the accident. “We have nothing else to do except deal with this loss,” she said.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin described the deaths as “tragic” and expressed “immense sorrow” in a post on X.
Prime minister Narendra Modi, in a social media post, extended his “condolences to those who have lost their loved ones” and called it a “deeply distressing” incident.
“The loss of lives in a tragic accident at a firecracker factory in Virudhunagar district, TN, is deeply distressing. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery,” president Droupadi Murmu said.
Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar–Sivakasi belt is widely regarded as India’s fireworks hub, supplying a large share of the country’s crackers and employing thousands in small, often family-run units.
The industry has long been plagued by safety concerns, with accidents occurring regularly due to lapses in handling volatile chemicals and overcrowded workplaces.
One of the deadliest incidents, the Sivakasi fireworks factory explosion in 2012, killed more than 40 people and injured dozens, highlighting persistent failures in enforcing safety regulations.
