21 October,2016 08:19 AM IST | | Agencies
As many as eight people, including six women, were killed in a fire cracker mishap at the fireworks hub of Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district yesterday
Sivakasi: As many as eight people, including six women, were killed in a fire cracker mishap at the fireworks hub of Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district yesterday.
The mishap, which occurred when a fire broke out while crackers were being offloaded from a vehicle to a shop, comes days ahead of Diwali when fireworks units in the district are abuzz with activity to cater to the countrywide demand for crackers.
"A total of eight people were killed and six of them were women," a senior police official said. Virudhunagar District Collector A Sivagnanam said a total of 22 persons were affected.
"The deaths occurred due to suffocation as result of excess fumes and not because of any blast," he said, adding those affected by smoke inhalation were admitted to a government hospital and a nearby private hospital.
The fire spread and affected a nearby scan centre.
It also damaged parked vehicles, including two-wheelers, police said.
