Dharmapuri: Three women lost their lives when the firecrackers exploded in a Gtown in Chinnamurukkampatty, near Kambainalur, in the Dharmapuri district of TN, on Monday.
The victims were identified as V Tirumalar, 38, M Shenbagam, 35, and T Manju, 33, all residents of the Boomisamudram village.
The Godown is owned by Chinnurai de Rasipuram, Namakkal district.
The firecrackers exploded around 2 pm when Tirumalar, Shenbagam and Manju were working on the Godown, killing the three in the place.
The residents of the area alerted fire and rescue services, which rushed to the place and sprayed the flames. The bodies were sent to the Government Hospital for PostMortems.
The collector R Sadheesh and SP SS Mahwaran visited the Godown, and forensic experts gathered evidence to determine the cause of the explosion. Kambainalur police have registered a case.
Prime Minister MK Stalin announced compensation for RS 4 Lakh each for the families of the deceased.
The deputy of Rajya Sabha and the president of the PMK, Dr. Anbumani Ramadss, expressed condolences and pointed out that the security deficiencies in the Godown were the probable cause of the accident. He asked for security audits intensified in Firecracker Godowns and demanded compensation for RS 25 Lakh for the families of the deceased of the state government.
According to local villagers, there was a case in the Superior Court of Madras about five years against the Petard unity that operates in a residential area during the last two decades.
“Despite several requests to the Tamil Nadu government and the administration of the Dharmapuri district in the last 10 years, no measures have been taken,” said a villager. Sadheesh promised to address the problem.