Nine killed in firecracker godown fire at Sivakasi

Nine people were killed after a firecracker godown caught fire in Sivakasi town of Tamil Nadu.

The incident took place when firecrackers were being loaded into a lorry.

Twenty vehicles were damaged and a hospital close to the godown was also affected in the incident that left people in the town in a state of shock.

Patients in the hospital were immediately evacuated and the fire was brought under control by the firefighters.

Two people, who had been admitted to the Sivakasi government hospital in a critical condition, died too.

Sivakasi is famous for its cracker factories and incidents like these come to light every year.

 

The death toll could rise as the condition of a few injured was said to be critical.

Initial investigations revealed that the godown did not follow the fire safety norms stipulated by the government.

Shops storing and selling firecrackers need special permissions and have to follow strict guidelines issued by the government from time to time.