Two people were killed and seven injured in a fire accident at a cracker factory at Vayyavoor on the outskirts of Kancheepuram town on Tuesday afternoon. Three of the injured are reported to be in a critical condition.
The fire broke out around 1 p.m. in one of the godowns inside the factory, owned by C. Senthil. The fire spread rapidly and the crackers began to explode, Kancheepuram Taluk police said.
Half of the workers on duty on Tuesday had gone home for lunch, while those inside the factory were injured. Two of the workers, Manonmani (38) and Thanigaimalai (30), succumbed to burns at 7.30 p.m. Police sources said that Manonmani had sustained 100 percent burns and died a few hours after getting admitted. Six others are being treated at the Burns Ward of Kilpauk Medical College Hospital while one of the workers has been admitted to the Chengalpattu Government Medical College
The exact cause of the fire is not known.
An electrical short circuit is suspected to have sparked the fire. Investigations are also on to find out if there were any lapses in precautionary measures.
