New Delhi: Two Jharkhand labourers were killed and two others were injured after a steam boiler at a prawn farm exploded near Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, said police.
According to police officials, the accident took place at a private prawn farm in Thoduvai village near Sirkazhi around 12pm on Sunday.
The victims have been identified as Arun Oran (25) and Baljeet Oran (21), who were both killed on the spot, the police said.
Two other workers, Raghupathy (50) and Maridoss (45), both hailing from Thirumullaivasal village, sustained serious injuries and have been admitted to Sirkazhi Government Hospital, the police added.
Sirkazhi police have registered a case and further investigation is underway.
Exact details about the incident will be known only after preliminary inquiry, the officials said.
READ | Tamil Nadu Records 61% Voting In Urban Local Body Polls
This is not the first such incident in the southern state.
Earlier, six workers were killed and 17 were injured — 11 of them critically — after a steam boiler exploded in Unit V of the thermal power station-II of the NLC India Ltd. (NLCIL) in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu.
Of the 17 injured, 16 were referred to Chennai with more than 40% burns. Power generation in the thermal unit was stalled after the accident. However, all other units in the station and other thermal power plants worked as usual.
In a similar incident before that, a boiler explosion occurred in Unit VI, killing five people, including two permanent staff members.