Kanchipuram: Four people, including a 22-year-old man allegedly running an unlicensed crackers outlet, were killed here Tuesday when fire-crackers and some raw materials exploded accidentally at his premises, police said.
Retailer Mushtaq, and three others, including two women, were killed in the mishap which occurred at his residence while he was arranging the fire-crackers and raw materials.
Under the impact of the explosion, walls of the old house were severely damaged. The firecrackers that exploded were “locally made, unbranded and more powerful than the branded ones,” a senior official told PTI.
Though the firecrackers and raw materials were procured from those holding explosive licence, the youth did not have a licence for retail sale of crackers, he said.
Mushtaq’s father Maideen was being questioned, the official said adding a case has been registered and a probe was on.