Cracker unit collapses in second blast in a week

Trichy: A small-scale firecracker manufacturing unit in Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, collapsed on Friday after around 11kg of country-made firecrackers stored inside it exploded. Police are investigating the possibility of sabotage since it is the second such explosion at the unit within a week.The unit, located near Manapadaiyur near Kumbakonam, was owned by S Yesudas, 46, a resident of Thiruvalanchuzhi. He manufactured country-made firecrackers and stored them in the godown for sale. It was around 7am that the explosion happened, bringing down the entire godown with 11kg of firecrackers kept inside. The sound of the blast was heard up to Tharasuram, nearly three km away, triggering panic among the public. Roof tiles from the building were hurled nearly 30 feet high and got stuck in a nearby tree, said witnesses.Fire service personnel rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. However, explosives still present inside the building continued to burn intermittently. Swamimalai police are conducting an investigation. It was on May 9 that a similar explosion occurred in Yesudas's godown, causing damage to the building. He has lodged a complaint with the police suspecting possible sabotage.