CHENNAI: A 55-year-old woman died in a kitchen accident in her residence in Tiruvottiyur on Saturday after a pressure cooker exploded and metal parts knocked her down. The deceased woman was identified as A Rajalakshmi (55).

The police said the woman and her husband, Arumugam (62), had finished their lunch and were resting when their son, Yuvaraj (39), came home with two of his friends to check the faulty air conditioner in their house.

Yuvaraj had asked his mother to prepare lunch for them when they were working. Rajalakshmi was cooking rice using a pressure cooker when it suddenly burst, scattering hot food and metal parts across the kitchen, the police said. Metal parts from the blast struck her face, causing serious injuries and knocking her unconscious, the police said.

On hearing the woman's screams, the family members rushed to her aid and moved her to a nearby private hospital, but she was declared dead on arrival. Upon information, the police recovered the body and sent it to the Government Stanley Hospital for a postmortem.