Four people, including two children, were killed when a fire broke out in the ground floor of an apartment in Chennai early on Monday, The Hindu reported. The fire, which started at 4.45 am, is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit in the fuse box of the apartment on South Perumal Street in Vadapalani.

The four deceased have been identified as Meenakshi, 60, Selvi, 30, 10-year-old Shalini and four-yea-old Sanjay. Officials said they died of suffocation after inhaling too much smoke and did not suffer any burn injuries, NDTV reported.

Several others were injured and have been hospitalised. Fourteen vehicles parked in the ground floor of the apartment have been gutted.