CHENNAI: Tension prevailed at Karlambakkam village near Tiruttani in neighbouring Tiruvallur district on Saturday after two persons died and over half a dozen were hospitalised allegedly after consuming contaminated drinking water supplied to their village, leading to villagers staging a protest.

On Thursday, a mason MC Ezhumalai died and the next day, a woman Sudha died, after developing health complications allegedly caused by consuming the drinking water supplied to their neighbourhood. After several residents were hospitalised, hundreds of villagers staged a road roko, raising slogans against the government.

A police team arrived on the scene and attempted to pacify the protestors. Police said that about 1,000 residents live in the locality and several people had complained of diarrhoea, stomach pain and vomiting over the last two days.

More than 30 police personnel were deployed at the spot. However, the villagers refused to accept the police's repeated appeals and continued their protest.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the deceased woman's relatives claimed that her legs were moving after which she was taken to the Athimancheri Pettai Primary Health Centre for examination, where doctors confirmed that the woman was dead.

However, her relatives refused to accept her body and demanded action against the authorities concerned. A posse of police personnel have been deployed in the village to prevent the situation from escalating.