Week after fire in utility store kitchen: another worker dead

Amrit Sardar (22), of West Bengal died at Government Kilpauk Medical College (GKMC). “He suffered 55 per cent burns in the fire accident, which took place inside the centralised open kitchen on Natesan Street in Mambalam. Sardar was undergoing treatment at GKMC, but was shifted to Apollo Hospital in Vanagaram for further treatment. However, on Tuesday night he was taken back to GKMC as his condition became critical,” said a police source. The police handed over Sardar’s body to his brothers on Wednesday. This is the second casualty following the fire mishap that was caused due to an LPG cylinder leak, which had left four people injured, of which, Murthy Annamalai (17) died on 20 November.  The fire spread while the workers were preparing lunch. 

Investigations revealed that the cylinder was half empty and had not been closed properly the previous day. The others who were injured were identified as Ibrahim Mohammed (19) and Ibrahim Ali (20) who escaped with minor injuries. Following Murthy’s death, the Mambalam police altered the FIR from accidental fire to death caused due to negligence of management, which falls under IPC 304 (A). The kitchen-in-charge Jayakumar was later under arrest.