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Confirmed police reports from Southern India state that at least 20 people have died and six others were injured after a massive fire tore through a fireworks factory on Sunday. Local police chief N. Shreenatha told AFP that the "20 fatalities are confirmed" following the incident at the licensed facility located in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu.

Furthermore, rescue teams remain active at the site as they continue to navigate the aftermath of the blaze. Authorities noted that the specific cause of the fire remains unknown at this stage, with investigations currently underway to determine if safety protocols were breached at the licensed plant.

In a related context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his "condolences to those who lost their loved ones" via social media, describing the incident as "extremely painful." Similarly, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin took to X (formerly Twitter) to describe the deaths as "tragic," expressing his "deep sorrow" over the loss of life.

Meanwhile, this disaster follows a string of industrial accidents in the country; an explosion at a power plant in central India claimed over 20 lives earlier this week, and a separate fireworks factory fire in western India killed 17 people last month. These recurring incidents have sparked renewed calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in hazardous manufacturing sectors.