The vehicle and the buildings which were completely damaged in the impact of the explosion at Nangilikondan near Gingee in Villupuram district on Monday.
The blaze from the vehicle spreadi to a tea shop, saloon and six other buildings in the vicinity in Gingee
Three persons were killed and 10 sustained serious injuries when a mini-lorry carrying crackers caught fire at Nangilikondan near Gingee in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu on Monday.
The victims are yet to be ascertained as the bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
Police said the incident occurred around 7.30 a.m. and the vehicle was coming from Puducherry.
Near Nangilikondan, the driver noticed smoke emanating from the radiator and stopped the vehicle. He was checking the radiator when locals alerted him of smoke emanating from the rear of the vehicle.
The cracker bundles started exploding and the fire started spreading to a tea shop, saloon and six other buildings in the vicinity. Locals heard a deafening sound and saw smoke and flame engulfing the place.
Fire tenders and police rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire but four buildings were completely damaged.
The police retrieved the bodies of three victims and sent them for post-mortem. Senthil Velavan, 45, Suresh, 45, Baasha, 38, his wife Ayesha, 45, Ranga, 60, Vinayagam, 40, Lavanya, 15, Mariammal, 18, Sivasankar, 40 and Kalpana, 25, sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the Gingee General Hospital.
Superintendent of Police S. Jayakumar rushed to the spot to assess the damage and supervise rescue operations.
Further investigations are on.