Two boys suffered serious burn injuries when they playfully set on fire waste collected from cracker units at Senthilapuram in Elayirampannai near Sattur around 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Police said B. Ashok (14) and M. Marimuthu (11) collected the waste and set them on fire. Suddenly, some chemical remnants in the waste caught fire and the boys were caught in a ball of flame. Both of them sustained more than 40% burn injuries.
The incident took place when the parents of the boys had gone out for work. The boys have been admitted to Kovilpatti Government Hospital. Vembakottai police are investigating.
Watery grave
A six-year-old boy, S. Premkumar, drowned in an ‘oorani’ where he had gone to bathe, along with his younger brother Kaliraj (4), at Sinthmanaickenpatti under M. Pudupatti police station limits around 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The villagers could save only Kaliraj.
Pudupatti police are investigating.