Three persons were killed in a blast while handling high volume of explosives at an explosive storage unit at Keezha Uppiligundu near Kariyapatti in Virudhunagar district on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
The deceased were identified as A. Kandasamy (49) of T. Pudupatti, Madurai district, R. Gurusamy (55) of Sivagiri and S. Periyadurai (27) of Kadayanallur, both from Tenkasi district.
The bodies of the deceased were ripped apart in the impact of the explosion that was reported around 8.30 a.m. Parts of the bodies were found strewn around some 200 metres away from the explosion site near RSR Blue Metal Quarry.
Virudhunagar Superintendent of Police, K. Feroze Khan Abdullah, said the explosives godown was owned by the license-holder A. Rajkumar of Tenkasi district near a stone quarry. However, it was being managed by R. Sethu (73) of Aviyoor.
“When the three men were handling the explosives, there was an accidental blast,” Mr. Abdullah said. The cause of the explosion was being investigated.
A video footage captured in a closed circuit television camera showed a massive inferno along with huge eruption of soil and stones for over a height of 50 feet.
“The impact of the blast was felt in several houses in our village (D. Kadamabankulam) located some 300 metres away from the site,” said a local resident, R. Ramesh Kannan (32).
Earlier, the villagers had blocked the Madurai-Thoothukudi highway complaining about the lackadaisical attitude of the officials in allowing the stone quarry to operate despite several complaints.
The villagers said the blast at the quarry was damaging their houses periodically. Walls and absestos roof of many houses had developed cracks. One V. Mahalakshmi (38) said that every time the rock is blasted in the quarry in the afternoons, her house shook and even the plastering on the floor peels off. The doors and windows vibrate wildly.
Meena Karuppaiah (60), a resident, said she was yet to come out of the shock after hearing the huge explosion.
The police pacified the protesters and made their disperse after an hour of blockade.
Ms. Mahalakshmi said a few months ago two children were run over by speeding trucks of the stone quarry. A minor girl lost one of her legs, she alleged.
Mr. Abdullah, who was camping at the Aviyoor police station, said a few persons, including Rajkumar and Sethu would be booked under the provisions of Explosive Substance Act, negligent handling of explosives endanger human life Section 286 of Indian Penal Code) and for culpable homicide not amounting to death (304 (II) of IPC).
