Man in film crew dies as CO₂ cylinder explodes on set

Chennai: A 25-year-old film crew worker died and three others were injured after a carbon dioxide cylinder exploded during the shooting of actor S J Suryah’s film ‘Killer’ at Binny Mills premises in Perambur, early Wednesday morning.The blast occurred around 5.30am while the crew was setting up a special-effects sequence for a fight scene using CO₂ cylinders. Police said excessive pressure built up during a gas transfer between cylinders—meant to simulate a blast effect—triggered the explosion. There was no fire.Madhan, 25, of Erikarai in Maduravoyal, died at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital from multiple injuries, including fractures to his right hand and ankle. Investigators said he was in close proximity to the blast and fell on mangled iron rods and metal sheets lying nearby. He had worked on film sets handling gas cylinders and special-effects operations for two years, his family said.The three injured workers—R Dinakaran, 24, P Surya, 23, and S Sakthivel, 27—were also treated at the hospital for injuries to their wrist, leg, and knee respectively.Around 10 workers had been involved in preparing the blast sequence for three days. The Otteri police arrested production manager Ram, 48, and special effects manager Arumugam, 37, on charges of causing death by negligence. Both were produced before a magistrate and released after furnishing an undertaking.Madhan’s body was sent for postmortem examination. His family questioned the safety measures in place on set. Police said the probe would examine whether adequate protective equipment had been provided to workers.