The death toll in the fire accident at a cracker shop in Sankarapuram in Kallakurichi district on Tuesday rose to six with one more person succumbing to injuries. The massive explosion at the cracker shop, belonging to S. Selvaganapathy, 40, on the Kallakurichi Road had claimed the lives of five persons and left nine seriously injured last night.
The deceased were identified as S. Sha. Aalam, 24, J. Syed Kalith, 22, S. Sheikh Bashir, 60, R. Ayyasamy alias Sembiyan, 75, A. Nazar, 60. The identity of one woman is yet to be ascertained. As many as nine persons including the shopowner who sustained injuries have been admitted to the Kallakurichi Government Hospital.
The explosion took place at around 6.30 p.m. in the cracker shop. As flames engulfed the shop, the cracker bundles started exploding and the fire started spreading to a tea shop, bakery and a clothing store in the vicinity. Local residents heard a blast and saw smoke and flame engulfing the place.
The charred bodies were retrieved and sent to the Kallakurichi Government Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examinations. On information, fire tenders from Kallakurichi and Sankarapuram rushed to the spot and put out the fire.
Kallakurichi Collector P.N. Sridhar and Superintendent of Police Ziaul Haque visited the spot and held inquiries. The police said the exact reason for the fire would be known only after a detailed inspection of the site. Further investigations are on.
