CHENNAI: Foraging for ice apples took a deadly turn for two college students near Sriperumbudur on Thursday when a transformer near the palm tree they were cutting the fruits from exploded, killing them both.
The deceased were identified as Delhi Ganesh and Dakshinamurthy, both 17 and residents of Sirumangadu village near Sriperumbudur and first-year students at a private college in the locality.
According to the police, on Thursday morning, the hot weather drove the two students, along with a few friends, to a palm tree that stood close to a transformer. Ganesh and Dakshinamurthy climbed the tree to cut ice apples. And during the process, a bunch of falling fruits got trapped on transformer wires. When they were attempting to retrieve it, the transformer exploded and caught fire.
The blast was so powerful that the flames spread instantly. Both students sustained severe burns and collapsed on the spot.
A 108 ambulance was rushed to the spot, and Ganesh and Dakshinamurthy were shifted to the Sriperumbudur government hospital, where doctors declared both of them dead on arrival.
The Sriperumbudur police sent the bodies for a post-mortem examination. A case has been registered, and further investigation is on.