40 perish in fireworks factory blaze

POLICE in India have arrested 11 employees of a fireworks factory after a massive blaze killed 40 workers and injured 60 others.

The arrests yesterday came as relatives cremated the charred bodies of their loved ones, who died on Wednesday when the fire ignited stores at the factory near Sivakasi town in Tamil Nadu state.

The 11 employees of the Om Siva Shakti factory were charged with manslaughter and storing explosives illegally, said police.

Officers were looking for the factory’s owner, Murugesan, who fled after the fire. Murugesan, who uses one name, is a local leader of the governing regional party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam.

Police said the factory was operating illegally after authorities suspended its licence for major safety violations.