The blast took place in a container some 30 metres away from the press and body shop of the plant. Trial production at the press and body shops was on even as the explosion took place. However, no damage to the plant was reported.

According to sources, the container owned by one of Hyundai's contracters, caught fire at 3.15 pm on Monday. Employees of the company immediately rushed out from the plant to put out the fire.

Even as the fire-fighting efforts were on, an oxygen cylinder which was in the vicinity exploded, injuring the employees who were trying to fight the fire. No explanations were available for the presence of the oxygen cylinder in the container.

Though the cause of theinitial fire in the container is still not clear, there are reports that a leak in the wiring may have sparked off the fire that led to the explosion.

The deceased have been identified as Iyappan (29) and Sivarajan (19).Hyundai Motor India Ltd, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Corporation, was gearing up for pilot production of its small car towards the end of this month. Commercial production of the car is slated for October this year. The plant, coming up at an investment of $614 million, will be the largest investment made by a multinational car company in India. It is also Hyundai's largest plant outside Korea.