Three persons were killed in a blast while handling high volume of explosives at an explosive storage unit at Keezha Uppiligundu near Kariyapatti in Virudhunagar district on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. The deceased were identified as A. Kandasamy (49) of T. Pudupatti, Madurai district, R. Gurusamy (55) of Sivagiri and S. Periyadurai (27) of Kadayanallur, both from Tenkasi district.

The bodies of the deceased were ripped apart in the impact of the explosion that was reported around 8.30 a.m. Parts of the bodies were found strewn around some 200 metres away from the explosion site near RSR Blue Metal Quarry.Virudhunagar Superintendent of Police, K. Feroze Khan Abdullah, said the explosives godown was owned by the license-holder A. Rajkumar of Tenkasi district near a stone quarry. However, it was being managed by R. Sethu (73) of Aviyoor.

“When the three men were handling the explosives, there was an accidental blast,” Mr. Abdullah said. The cause of the explosion was being investigated.

A video footage captured in a closed circuit television camera showed a massive inferno along with huge eruption of soil and stones for over a height of 50
The impact of the blast was felt in several houses in our village (D. Kadamabankulam) located some 300 metres away from the site