Two workers lost their lives in a devastating explosion at an illegal fireworks manufacturing unit in Sivakasi on Sunday,July 26,2026. The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. at a shed near Sengamalapatti, where authorities have since launched a search for two additional workers who were present at the site.
The deceased have been identified as R. Ramprakash,36,from Sengamalapatti,while the second victim remains unnamed. R. Ramachandran,Ramprakash's elder brother,sustained severe injuries with 75% burns and is currently in critical condition at the Virudhunagar Government Medical College hospital.
Emergency responders from the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, led by Station Officer T. Seenivasan, battled the flames for extended period before bringing the fire under control. The explosion was powerful enough to destroy a van parked nearby and partially burn a two-wheeler. Witnesses reported seeing thick white smoke rising several kilometers away, and the force of the blast shattered window panes in two nearby homes.
Firefighters described a grim scene, noting that one worker was found completely charred inside the shed,while another was blown apart by the explosion . Local residents expressed shock at the revelation of the illegal operation, stating they had believed the shed was simply a nursery. Muthulakshmi,a 51-year-old neighbor, remarked, "We never suspected that they had been making firecrackers illegally."
Virudhunagar MLA P. Selvam arrived at the scene to oversee rescue efforts and announced that the Sivakasi East police had recently uncovered ten similar illegal fireworks units in the area. With the Deepavali festival approaching,he urged Gautam Goyal,the Virudhunagar Superintendent of Police, to ramp up inspections of the fireworks industry to prevent further tragedies.
Ramprakash and Ramachandran had clandestinely established the fireworks unit on their farmland, utilizing free electricity intended for agricultural use to power their operations. workers had reportedly begun their shift around 3 a.m. on the day of the explosion .
As concerns grew over the potential whereabouts of other missing workers, fire crews employed a drone to search surrounding farmlands. They also began pumping water from a nearby irrigation well to investigate the possibility that some workers may have been thrown into it by the blast.
In a separate incident, a fire broke out at a licensed fireworks unit in Pernaickenpatti,near Sivakasi,just an hour after the explosion at the illegal site. Fortunately,no workers were present at the Jai Vinayaka Sparklers unit due to it being Sunday. Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze,which damaged boxes and packing materials. A short circuit is suspected to have caused this fire.
The Sivakasi East police have initiated an investigation into both incidents,focusing on the illegal operations that pose significant risks to public safety .
