Woman killed in Vellore firecracker factory blast

One person was killed on the spot and four others, all workers, were injured when a fireworks factory in which they were working was ripped apart by an explosion here on Saturday morning.

The dead was identified as Deepa (25) of Kansalpet in Vellore, while the injured persons were Sheela (35), Siva (30), Pushpa (30) and Kaviarasan (32), all from Vellore. 

The body of the victim was sent to the Vellore government medical college for autopsy, while the injured were admitted to the same hospital in a serious condition. 

The unit is owned by a person called Abdul Khader of Konvattam in the town. The unit manufactured and sold firecrackers. The explosion occurred around 10.30 am resulting in the unit’s roof being blown away. 

The resulting fire was doused by fire tenders from Vellore. SP P Pagalavan and Vellore Tahsildar K Balaji visited the spot and oversaw the rescue operations. 

Vellore south police have registered a case and were investigating the cause of the explosion. Sources claimed that the explosion occurred immediately after a person purchased some crackers. Police apprehended Abdul Khader and were conducting inquiries.