One person died and four others were injured in an explosion at Manampathi, located nearly five km from Tirupathur, in Kancheepuram district on Sunday afternoon. The police are yet to establish the cause of the explosion.
The incident happened around 3.30 p.m near an unused pond behind the Gangai Amman Koil in Manampathi. While a 23-year-old man, Surya, died, Dilip Raghavan, Tirumal and Yuvaraj, all 22, and Jayaram sustained injuries.
They were rushed to the Chengalpattu government hospital. Another victim, Jayaram, who sustained an injury, was taken to a private hospital in Chennai.
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According to police, the pond belonging to Gangai Amman Koil in the village has not been used for many years. A few days ago some residents took the help of a private firm to desilt it. The work has been going on for the past few days.
“However, no one was working on Sunday. It is not clear why the five persons went into the pond. Initial reports claim that Surya brought some equipment from the pond. He placed it near the temple and it exploded when he tried to open it,” said a police officer.
However, the pockmarks on the temple walls made police doubt whether it was a device that exploded or a bomb. Some parts of the object that exploded were found at the spot. “The forensic team and the bomb squad from Chennai have been called to inspect the scene of crime and identify the object that exploded,” said a senior police officer.
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