The accident occurred near Sengamalapatti in Sivakasi in the district. Seven rooms stocked with firecrackers were completely gutted in the fire, they said.

Police and fire service personnel rushed the injured to a government hospital in Sivakasi. A senior police official said the cause of the fire was being ascertained and added that the unit was a licensed one.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish at the loss of lives in the incident. In a post on ‘X’, he said, “Anguished by the loss of lives due to a mishap at a factory in Sivakasi. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray that those who have been injured recover at the earliest.”