File photo of a fire in Sivakasi in 2012. Credit: PTI
Sivakasi: As many as eight people, including six women, were killed in a fire cracker mishap at the fireworks hub of Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu today.
The mishap, which occurred when a fire broke out while crackers were being offloaded from a vehicle to a shop, comes days ahead of Diwali, when fireworks units in the district are abuzz with activity to cater to the countrywide demand for crackers.
“A total of eight people were killed and six of them were women,” a senior police official told PTI.
Virudhunagar District Collector A. Sivagnanam said a total of 22 persons were affected.
“The deaths occurred due to suffocation as result of excess fumes and not because of any blast,” he said, adding those affected by smoke inhalation were admitted to a government hospital and a nearby private hospital.
Some were also referred to Madurai hospitals and were being administered to with “breathing facility”, he said.
The fire also damaged parked vehicles, including two-wheelers, police said.
They said the fire was caused due to mishandling of the consignment of crackers while being offloaded by the employees and that the fire had been brought under control by the fire and rescue services.
Describing it as an “unfortunate accident”, Sivagnanam asserted that the administration has been carrying out safety drills in the district, about 500 km from Chennai, to prevent any such mishaps.