Four killed in cracker blast in Salem district, CM announces solatium
Four persons, including two boys, were killed in an accidental firecracker blast near a temple at Kanjanaickenpatti village in Salem district.
Expressing his heartfelt condolences Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday announced a solatium of Rs 3 lakh each to the affected families.
A bundle of firecrackers being carried in a gunny bag on a two-wheeler, to be burst during the festival at the Draupadi Amman temple, caught fire and exploded at around 8:50 PM on Friday near the Poosaripatti bus stand, Kanjanaickenpatti village, police said.
“The incident happened when a man attempted to test the firecrackers,” a police official said, and added that the mishap occurred about one km away from the temple where a large number of people had gathered for the festival.
The deceased have been identified as Selvaraj (29) from Kottamedu, Kanjanaickenpatti, and two boys from Guruvalliyur aged 11, while Lokesh (20) died at the Salem Government Medical College Hospital.
“I was deeply shocked and pained to hear the tragic news. I express my deepest condolences and sympathies to the families who lost their kin,” the chief minister said in a statement announcing a relief of Rs 3 lakh each to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund.