Nine women were charred to death in a fire that broke out in a cracker unit at Kattumannarkoil in Cuddalore district, 180 km south of Chennai.
Five women died on the spot while four succumbed to the burns while on the way to hospital. Cuddalore district is already under the attack of Covid-19, which has claimed 130 lives till date.
The firecracker unit was owned by Gandhimathi, who too died in the fire. People who were at the spot during the accident said that the fire broke out when the women were powdering the explosive material used to manufacture the crackers.
This is the second fire accident happening in the district in three years. A similar accident had claimed four lives in 2017 in Cuddalore.
Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased.