One killed, another injured as 'high voltage panel board' explodes in North Chennai

'He was trying to turn off the switch on the high-voltage panel board which exploded suddenly,' a senior police official said, denying reports of a cylinder blast at the plant.

Chennai: A 30-year-old worker was killed while another sustained injuries after a 'high voltage panel board' exploded in a bio-gas plant run by the Greater Chennai Corporation in the northern part of the city, police said on Sunday.

The incident occurred late on Saturday night at the facility located in Chinna Sekkadu Village located in Manali, a suburb in northern Chennai.

"The incident occurred late last night when the victim, E Saravana Kumar, hailing from Rasipuram, Namakkal, was leaving the facility. He was trying to turn off the switch on the high-voltage panel board which exploded suddenly," a senior police official told PTI, denying reports of a cylinder blast at the plant.

While Kumar died on the spot, his colleague Baskaran (25), hailing from Chennai, was injured and is currently under treatment at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in the city.

The incident was caught on a surveillance camera, which went viral on the social media. In the video footage, thick smoke is seen emanating after the explosion, triggering panic among the residents.

Allaying fears of an explosion, the police official said due to passing of high tension voltage power supply, there was a huge sound when the panel board exploded.

"A case has been booked and further investigation is on," he added.