The Vanaja Fireworks Industry factory in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, was supposed to be shut on Sunday evening, April 19. About 50 workers were inside when it blew up.
At least 25 people died and six others were seriously injured, according to official sources. A second blast hit during the rescue effort and injured another 13 people, district collector N. O. Sukhaputra said. Firecrackers kept going off inside the building, which slowed the rescuers down.
One wounded witness said roughly 25 people were working on a veranda in front of the factory when the fire started. It damaged at least three rooms and reduced parts of the building to rubble. The cause of the explosions is not yet known.
Victims and manhunt
On Monday, April 20, officials were still working to identify the dead. By then 22 of the 25 had been named, and all of them were women.
Police said the factory’s owner and its foreman are in hiding. Four special teams have been formed to find and arrest them.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the tragedy “deeply painful” and offered condolences to the families of the dead. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin ordered the administration to give all necessary help.
The state has seen this before. Earlier reports indicated that a blast at a fireworks factory in Tamil Nadu in February 2024 killed at least 10 people and badly injured nine others. After this latest explosion, emergency services went on alert, and authorities pledged tighter oversight of fireworks manufacturing and more inspections. The investigation is continuing.
