Four persons including the owner of a firecracker shop and three women were killed and an equal number of persons were injured in a blast at a house in the district where firecrackers were allegedly stocked, police said on Saturday.

The blast, which occurred suddenly at around 4 AM, damaged the house in Mohanur here and a few others in the vicinity causing injuries to four persons, they said. Fire tenders battled for nearly two hours and put out the blaze.

"It is not clear why Thillai Kumar (37), a licence holder, had stocked the firecrackers in his house. The incident happened around 4 AM. Thillai Kumar, his mother Selvi (57) and wife Priya (27) died instantly," a senior police official told PTI.

Kumar's 4-year old daughter, however, escaped unhurt, he added.

His neighbour, a 70-year old woman, also died due to the impact of the blast, the officer said.

Four persons who sustained burns or injuries due to the blast or damage to the houses have been admitted to the Government hospital here for treatment.

Ruling out any foulplay, the police official said a probe is on to ascertain if an electrical short-circuit or unextinguished candle could have triggered the blast.

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