A 60-year-old man who suffered severe burns in a fire that broke out in the Vaddy beach area of the Tangasseri Fishing Harbour complex here late on Tuesday succumbed to his injuries at the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday morning.
The deceased was identified as Sudharakaran of Adhinad, near Karunagapally. He suffered burns during rescue operation when an LPG cylinder in one of the sheds that caught fire exploded. Sudharan was employed at a tea shop at the complex.
15 injured Fifteen persons were injured in the blaze. Sudhakaran, along with 10 others, were initially admitted to the District Hospital here. He was referred to the MCH after his condition deteriorated on Tuesday night. Four other were admitted to a private hospital here. All others who suffered burns are recovering, doctors said.
The fire was noticed shortly before 10 p.m. in a palm frond tent on the beach where fishermen keep their equipment, including outboard engines and nets. It soon spread to other tents. The blast occurred in one of tents soon after fishermen rushed in to salvage their equipment. Fearing that the fire would spread, they fled the scene without their equipment. By the time the fire was brought under control, a good number of outboard engines had been badly damaged. Eleven tents were gutted in the fire.
Five fire tenders fought the flames for more than an hour.
The funeral rites of Sudhakaran will be held in the compound of his house on Thursday. He is survived by four children.
