Kolkata, May 22 (PT) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today condoled the death of nine people in police firing during protests against the Sterlite copper plant in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu.

"I just landed in Bengaluru to the shocking news about the incident near the Sterlite Tuticorin plant. My thoughts and prayers with the people of Tamil Nadu at this hour of grief.

"My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and hope the injured recover soon," Banerjee said in a tweet.

The police action followed months-long protests for the closure of Vedanta's Sterlite copper unit in Tuticorin, about 600 km from Chennai over pollution concerns.

(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)