Death toll in Tiruvallur paint factory fire rises to four, investigation underway

CHENNAI: The death toll in the fire at the paint factory in Kakkalur Industrial Estate, Tiruvallur, rose to four on Saturday. While three people were burnt to death on Friday, one more charred body was recovered today.

The fire had broken out at the Zen Paints factory unit around 4 pm on Friday. Residents alerted the police and fire personnel after thick smoke started billowing from the factory. As the fire spread, the boiler exploded and the walls collapsed.

Some of the workers from the unit managed to escape while three victims were suspected to have been trapped in the fire, police said. The two workers whose bodies were found from the fire-gutted factory on Friday were identified as Gandhi and Parthasarathy. The identity of the worker whose body was found today is yet to be ascertained.

An onlooker, identified as Srinivasan, died after he was hit by a metal plate that flew off the unit after the fire triggered an explosion, police said. 

Meanwhile, Ganapathi, the managing owner of the factory, has been arrested, and an investigation is currently underway.

(With online desk inputs)