A Theni native, who suffered burns in the fire that occurred in a retiring room of truck drivers near Sulur in Coimbatore on Monday night, died on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. With this, the death toll in the fire increased to four.
P. Veeramani, 21, of Andipatti in Theni district, who had been working as a truck cleaner, succumbed to the burns at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
P. Alagar Raja, 24, T. Muthukumar, 23, and I. Karuppusamy alias Chinna Karuppu, 26, all hailing from Kadamalaikundu near Andipatti in Theni district, died on the spot in the fire that occurred at the former’s rented room at Muthugoundenpudur near Sulur around 11.30 p.m. on Monday.
Three others, namely Veeramani, R. Pandeeswaran, 27, Dinesh Kumar, 23, and S. Manoj, 24, suffered burns in the fire. While Veeramani was admitted to CMCH, Pandeeswaran and Manoj were admitted to a private hospital. Dinesh was shifted to a hospital in Theni, the police said.
According to the police, the fire broke out in the small room when one of the drivers, who was under the influence of alcohol, spilled petrol while transferring it from a large container to a one litre bottle. Pandeeswaran was cooking in the same room, using an LPG stove, and it caught fire.