Sivakasi: The fire that broke out at a factory near Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district on Saturday has so far claimed three lives.
While one worker was killed on Saturday, two others succumbed to burn injuries this morning. PTI reported that it was a colour matches-manufacturing unit and the cause of fire is said to be friction of chemicals.
The fire had partly damaged the chemical-dipping room in which the workers were making the colour matches for children, they said.
The blaze occurred due to friction of chemicals. Even before the staff could realise and respond to the disaster, the flames engulfed the entire room, choking the workers, a senior police official said.
The fire and rescue services personnel doused the flames and rescued the trapped workers.
A case has been registered, the police said.
In February, six people died in an explosion at a firecracker factory near here. More than ten sheds where chemicals had been stored were razed to the ground in the mishap.
Earlier that month, about 15 workers were killed and over 30 injured when an explosion ripped through a fireworks factory near Sattur in the southern district.
(With PTI inputs)
