VIJAYAWADA: A 30-year-old man was killed after an old canister of paint exploded when he tried to open it on Friday. The incident took place near the RTO Office in Anantapur town.
The deceased, Chakali Satish, worked as a watchman in a nearby apartment. Public in the vicinity moved away from the RTO office almost immediately after the explosion. Police rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation. Anantapur One Town SI Ravishankar Reddy, who is investigating the case, said the blast took place in a paint godown near RTO office, which was closed for past 10 days.
“Satish was cleaning the godown as it was to be used as a shop. When he opened the canister, it exploded and killed him on the spot. We suspect the paint was around 10 years old,” he explained. Police suspect the blast might be a result of chemical reaction as the paint was suddenly exposed to outside atmosphere.
A firm, KK Paints used the godown to manufacture paints. A case was registered and investigation is on.