At least 23 workers have been killed and six others injured in an explosion at a firecracker factory in Kattanarpatti village, in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, April 19. The area is part of a fireworks manufacturing hub around Sivakasi.According to The Times of India, the blast struck around 3:20 pm. Villagers reported hearing the blast several kilometres away, while witnesses described a huge plume of white fumes rising.According to Hindustan Times, the explosion was so severe that at least three rooms were reduced to rubble, and several adjacent structures were completely levelled. There were nearly 100 people on site at the time of the explosion. They were mixing chemicals, police said.According to officials, the unit belonged to Vanaja Fireworks. The company held a licence, however it was operating on a Sunday in violation of rules. “The factory was not supposed to function on a Sunday. We will initiate stern action after a detailed inquiry,” said district collector N.O. Sukhaputra, as quoted by TOI.Investigators are also probing if any safety norms were breached. As per preliminary findings, the licence is under the name Eswari, wife of Muthuramalingam, a former panchayat president, who is absconding.A police case was registered and four special teams have been formed to trace the owner and the associates, as per the report. Meanwhile, the district collector also said that the licence would be cancelled.Fire and rescue teams came from Sattur, Virudhunagar town, and Sivakasi. Injured workers were taken to Virudhunagar government hospital, several with critical burns. However, rescue teams faced a setback when a secondary, smaller blast occurred around 7:20 pm while debris was being cleared using an earthmover.Thirteen people, including fire service personnel and police, sustained injuries from flying debris in the second blast. Firecrackers and Matchbox Manufacturers Association district president P.N. Deva told TOI that the factory has a permission to employ only 25 workers but it had more on site. Further, chemical mixing is allowed between 8 am and 10 am but the explosion occurred around 3 pm – proof that mixing beyond the hours allotted as per law. Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin said on X that he asked state ministers K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran and Thangam Thennarasu to rush to the site to expedite the rescue and relief operations and support the affected families.“The tragic news of the deaths of several people in the firecracker factory explosion that occurred in Kattanapatti, Virudhunagar district, causes immense sorrow. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives,” he wrote in a post.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi condoled the death. He said: “Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives in the firecracker factory explosion at Kattanarpatti, Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu. These were workers who left home in the morning to earn a living for their families. My thoughts are with the grieving families, and I wish a swift recovery to all those injured.”President Droupadi Murmu condoled the deaths and said the accident was “deeply distressing”.Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted from the PMO handle: “The mishap in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu is deeply distressing. I extend my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest.” The Virudhunagar-Sivakasi supplies a large share of the country’s crackers and employs thousands in small units. In 2025, the fireworks industry in Sivakasi recorded sales worth around Rs 6,000 crore during the Deepavali season.The belt has a history of such blasts. Just a week ago, an explosion had occurred at a fireworks factory in Pulipparaipatti, near Sivakasi. Fire and Rescue Services officials were called in time and no deaths were reported.In July last year, eight workers were killed and five injured in an explosion at a fireworks manufacturing unit at Chinnakamanpatti, near Sattur in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu. In February last year, there was another in Neerathilingam, in Sivakasi district. One worker was killed and another suffered burn injuries.