A firecracker dealer, his wife, his mother and an old woman next door were killed when firecrackers stored in their house exploded in Mohanur, Namakkal district on Saturday. 5 others were injured. Neighboring houses were also damaged.
Thillaikumar (35), a resident of Moganur Metuth Street, was engaged in the business of firecrackers. He is 5 km from there. In the distance is a firecracker warehouse.
But it appears that he was stockpiling firecrackers at home without permission for New Year’s sale. In this case, the firecrackers started exploding in the house on Saturday morning, the police say.
Fire tenders from Namakkal, Karur and Mohanur were called and the fire was extinguished after a 3-hour struggle.
In this accident, Thillai Kumar, his mother Selvi (55), his wife Priya (28) and the old neighbor Periyakal (73) died on the spot.
After hearing about the incident, Balu, who visited the place and visited the place, told BBC Tamil, “Thillai Kumar’s family is from Moganur. They have been in the business of firecrackers for two generations.
They have a warehouse at Odapalayam near Kumaripalayam. They used to stock crackers there. They used to take crackers to other places by a car.
It is also customary to keep firecrackers stocked at home during festivals. It is also customary to keep and sell at home. He lived in a very small house with his mother, wife and three-year-old child,” said Balu.
He also said about this, “Since it is New Year’s Day, they have brought crackers home from the warehouse as usual. The accident may have happened because there was a large stock of firecrackers in the house.
As all the rooms including the kitchen were in one set, the gas cylinder also exploded. My house is three kilometers from here. The incident took place at 03:30 am on Saturday morning.
I got the information after the accident. Neighbors informed the arson department and the police after hearing the explosion early in the morning,” he said.
“Thillaikumar’s three-year-old daughter survived the accident. When the fire broke out, someone first brought the child out of the house safely.
But unfortunately all the others died. Thillai Kumar’s daughter is currently in the custody of her maternal relatives,” he said.
The area consists mostly of tile and asbestos houses. As a result, five houses surrounding Thillai Kumar’s house were completely damaged in the firework accident. Those who saw the incident say that more than 25 houses in the same place were slightly damaged.
“At least after this incident, crackers business should be strictly monitored and violators should be fined,” Balu said.
Senior officials and Forest Minister Mathiventhan reached the spot. The minister also visited and consoled those who were injured and undergoing treatment. None of those receiving treatment are in critical condition.
The Tamil Nadu government has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50 thousand each to the injured. Police continue to advise against the use of flammable items such as firecrackers in residential areas.
“At least after this incident, crackers business should be strictly monitored and violators should be fined,” Balu said.
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