Two persons were killed and another sustained serious injuries when a chemical used for making Plaster of Paris (PoP) toys exploded in Housing board colony in Karimnagar town on Sunday morning.
Police said, Malla Krishna Reddy (55) and Nagarjuna Kumar (34) died on the spot while P. Srinivas (30) sustained serious injuries.
The victims, hailing from Kurnool district, were working in the unit for the past 10 years, police added.
On Saturday night, they found that the chemical Cobalt used in the making of idols had expired and they contacted the firm which sells it in Hyderabad. The firm informed them to dilute it by mixing in water and dispose off.
Accordingly, the victims were diluting the chemical in the water when it exploded. The house in which explosion took place was also damaged badly. Police officials and forensic experts rushed to the spot and collected the evidences.
