A village devastated: At least 25 workers died in blasts at a fireworks unit at  Kattanarpatti in Virudhunagar on April 19. And 18 of the victims were from  Servaikaranpatti that supplies labour to the fireworks units in the district. The photo shows relatives grieving at hospital.
| Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY

For V. Katheesh, 12, summer vacation could not have started on a more harrowing note. A day after the holidays began on April 18, he was admitted to the Virudhunagar Government Medical College and Hospital with a head injury. He had accompanied his mother, V. Jeyalakshmi, 42, of Athipatti near Virudhunagar, to a fireworks unit where she worked. The two had to run for their lives when a series of explosions broke out at the factory on April 19, killing 25 workers, mostly women. Eighteen of the deceased were from nearby Servaikaranpatti. Ms. Jeyalakshmi is recovering from shoulder and leg injuries.

The bodies of the deceased were charred and some workers were ripped apart in the impact of the explosions. Firefighters struggled for hours to pull out the charred remains and body parts from the debris. But why was Katheesh at the spot when this deadly accident took place? As a single mother, Ms. Jeyalakshmi had no option but to bring him along to the workplace during the day.

Published – April 26, 2026 05:30 am IST