Chennai, June 21(BPNS)

Three persons including a five-year-old boy died in a blast at an illegal fire cracker unit at Kalaignar colony of Thayilpatti in Sattur on Monday morning. Local people said that fire broke out during the making of crackers.

Police sources said that Selvamani(35), her son, and another person, Karpagam( 35) were found charred to death on the spot. Two other persons –Surya and Prabhakar, with multiple injuries have been admitted to Sivakasi government hospital.

Local people said that friction took place in the fire cracking unit and a blast occurred charring three people to death including the five-year-old boy.

District Fire Officer, Ganeshan is leading a team of three fire tender units to clear the locality of any further blasts and to remove people who are living in the surrounding areas.

Four houses including one house where the fire cracking unit was functioning illegally were totally destroyed in the blast.

Saravanan, an activist working among the local people of Sivakasi while speaking to BPNS said, “There are several illegal cracker making units here, and all the pleas to the government has fallen on deaf ears. The department including the police must act swiftly and shut down all the units which are functioning without proper license and employing children.”

Police have registered a case and investigation is on.