Chennai, Oct 26 (PTI) At least five persons were killed and an equal number were injured in a blast at a firecracker shop in Sankarapuram town in Kallakurichi district on Tuesday, police said.

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Fire tenders from Sankarapuram and Kallakurichi rushed to the spot to douse the flames, even as the sudden blast leading to the explosion of the firecrackers caused a panic in the town.

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"At least 5 persons, suspected to be owner and workers, at the firecracker shop put up in Sankarapuram ahead of Diwali, were killed," a senior police officer told PTI.

The five persons, who sustained injuries in the blast, were admitted to the Kallakurichi government hospital, he said.

Further investigation is on.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)