3 held in Sivakasi firecracker unit blast

The owner of the fireworks unit in Sivakasi and two others were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the tragic death of 13 workers, including 12 women due to a blast on October 17, police said.

Foreman Kanagu alias Kanakaraj and Ramkumar of the private fireworks unit too, were among those arrested for causing deaths due to negligence.Accordingly, cases under sections 286 (acting rashly or negligently to endanger human lives), 337 (causing hurt by endangering life or personal safety), and 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC read with relevant provisions of the Indian Explosives Act were registered against them, said police.“The sudden explosion at the unit in Rangapalayam occurred after a spark from the samples tested by the workers landed on the stockpile of firecrackers,” a senior police official said.