Four employees of an aluminium powder manufacturing unit were killed in a boiler explosion at Mela Amathur on Virudhunagar-Sivakasi highway near here on Thursday morning.
While V. Sankareswaran (34), the fitter, was killed on the spot, V. Malaiyandi (34) of Mela Amathur died on way to a hospital in Madurai. The other two K. Eswaran (44) of Virudhunagar and N. Kanikalaraja (34) of Vellore, who sustained 100 per cent burns, succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Virudhunagar Tahsildar A. Pauldurai said mishandling of the boiler which is used to make aluminium powder, led to the explosion at 9 a.m. The aluminium powder is an important raw material of fireworks industry. The injured were rushed to the government hospital in Sivakasi. They were shifted to the private hospital after their condition