A person sitting inside a car was charred to death, when the gas cylinder fitted in the vehicle apparently exploded and the ensuing fire engulfed it in Ukkadam area of the city here in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
The identity of the dead person is yet to be established, they said.
All the shops in the vicinity of Kottai Easwaran Temple were closed and a large number of police personnel have been deployed in the area, police said. Being a communally sensitive area, a tense situation is prevailing there.
ADGP P Thamarai Kannan visited the spot and reviewed the situation. Talking to reporters, he said the process of collecting evidence is on and a clear picture will emerge by evening. Six special teams have been formed to investigate the matter.
Preliminary reports suggest a gas leak from the cylinder led to the explosion soon after the vehicle went past a speed breaker at high speed, they said.
Forensic experts reached the spot, police added. The experts are reviewing whether the car was run on gas or the cylinder was just present in the vehicle apart from any other objects.
The car was registered in Pollachi, police added.
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