CHENNAI: A migrant worker from Odisha was killed and four others were seriously injured after hot coal from a furnace at a steel factory near Gummidipoondi spilled on them on Thursday.
Police said the incident took place on Monday morning at Kamachi Steels on SIPCOT Industrial Complex when the workers were working near the furnace.
“The coal was being transported in a conveyor belt to the furnace and there were minor repairs in the furnace. The workers were trying to set it right when the hot coal spilled on them,” said a police source.
The five migrant workers, four of them from Odisha and one from Madhya Pradesh, were rushed to a local hospital and later referred to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital.
Later in the evening, Sanjay (26), who suffered 75 per cent burns, succumbed, hospital sources said.
Another worker Dinoth (27) suffered 51 per cent burns and his condition is said to be critical. Three other workers - Leo Suja (24), Santhosh (24) and Ajay (21) had suffered 38 to 43 per cent burns and are undergoing treatment. Their family members were informed about the incident.
The SIPCOT police have registered a case and are investigating whether any negligence on the part of the company officials led to the incident.
21 Sov Gold Stolen
A group of armed robbers on Wednesday night assaulted a private school teacher and his wife, who were sleeping on the terrace of their house near Gummidipoondi, and escaped with nearly 21 sovereign of gold jewellery.
Before assaulting the couple, the robbers had also broke open two adjacent locked houses and looted valuables.
Police said they collected details from the victims and were trying to match them with habitual offenders.
The incident took place in the house S Dilli Babu (29), who worked as a teacher in a nearby private school, at Keelmudalambedu. “The robbers beat up Dilli Babu with wooden logs and snatched two sovereign gold jewellery he was wearing. They also snatched the four-sovereign thali that his wife D Rajeswari was wearing. The couple did not try to alert the neighbours out of fear of being beaten up further by the robbers,” said a police officer.
After the robbers left, Dilli Babu went into his house and found that the robbers had already broken open the house doors and taken away jewellery from the cupboards. As the neighbours gathered, it soon came to light that an adjacent house, belonging to R Ramesh, was also broken open.
Police said Ramesh had left the house locked as he had gone out of station along with his family. About three sovereigns of gold jewels were missing from Ramesh’s house.
“The robbers had nearly taken away about 21 sovereigns. We have not made any arrested so far. But we have collected details from the complainants and are pursuing the clues,” said Kavarapettai police inspector S Chandrasekaran