Blasts at Firecracker Factory in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu

15 people are reported Dead and more than 30 Injured after an explosion in a Firecracker Factory in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu. Ten Fire-fighting units from various nearby locations have been rushed in to the site to douse the fire.

The Explosion took place at 1:30 PM today and the Owner has been booked under relevant sections of IPC, the Police Officer at the site said. The location of this Factory is around 500 kms from Chennai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the blast.

"Fire at a firecracker factory in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu is saddening. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover soon. Authorities are working on the ground to assist those affected," he tweeted.

Sources shared that "Friction during mixing of chemicals appears to have caused the explosion".

Chief Minister E Palaniswami has announced a compensation of ₹ 3 lakh for the families of those who died in the blast and ₹ 1 lakh for the severely injured.

The Centre has announced ₹ 2 lakh for the families of the victims and ₹ 50,000 for those injured.

"An ex-gratia of ₹ 2 lakh each has been approved from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to a fire in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu. ₹ 50,000 would be given to those seriously injured," a tweet from the PMO account read.