Four men were hurt when a staircase leading to a godown collapsed after a plastic drum containing a chemical substance exploded in Tambaram on Thursday evening. All the four injured men were reportedly out of danger.
The godown owned by Kumar of Tambaram is on Tambaram–Somangalam Road. Chemical substances are mixed, packed into plastic bins and sent to various locations.
On Thursday, two employees, Sundararajan and Swaminathan, were off-loading empty bins from a lorry and loading bins filled with the chemical. Around 5 p.m., one of the bins came crashing down from the first floor and exploded on landing, resulting in the steps collapsing.
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Apart from the two employees, Balaji, driver of the lorry, and Prabhakaran, its cleaner, were also injured.
Firemen said it was still not clear exactly what chemical substance was used and for what purposes.