The fire is suspected to have been caused by friction during the filling of chemicals.
Five men were charred to death after a fire broke out at a cracker factory in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district today.
11 others, including a few women workers, suffered burn injuries and are being treated at a hospital in Puducherry. Authorities say they are out of danger.
Officials say the factory building collapsed in the explosion that took place around 3:30 pm.
The District Superintendent of Police, Narendran Nair, said, "It's a licensed factory. Survivors say fire began when the filling of chemicals work was on. We suspect some friction must have triggered the fire. We are investigating".
With Diwali round the corner, cracker factories are at peak production. District Collector Dr L Subramanian said, "We will inspect all cracker factories from tomorrow and ensure there's no violation."
Ravi Kumar, former legislator and General Secretary of VCK, who visited the hospital, has demanded Rs 10 lakh as relief for families of the dead and Rs 5 lakh for families of those who suffered injuries.