At least three people, including a child, were killed in an explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing factory in Tamil Nadu on Monday morning. Two of the dead were women in the mishap

Two others have also been reported to be injured in the incident at the firecracker manufacturing unit in Thaiyilpatti near Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district, about 500 km from the state capital Chennai. Sivakasi is a huge cracker manufacturing hub in Tamil Nadu. 

Firecracker manufacturing units there employed thousands of workers before being hit by 2018 Supreme Court ruling on pollution. Following the order, many producers have switched to manufacturing the "green crackers" after receiving training and assistance from the government.

Notably, in the past, firecracker manufacturing units in Sivakasi supplied 90-95 percent of India's firecrackers, generating revenues of around USD 800 million.

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