A man and his seven-year-old son were charred to death after two bags of firecrackers they were carrying on a scooter suddenly exploded on East Coast Road at Kottakuppam village on the Puducherry-Tamil Nadu border on Thursday when Diwali was being celebrated in the country.

A video of the incident went viral on social media.

Tragedy strikes during #Diwali day as father and son die in a blast caused by country made crackers they were carrying in a two-wheeler. pic.twitter.com/33mCShhNaW

— Pramod Madhav (@PramodMadhav6) November 5, 2021

The video shows Kalainasan riding the scooter, while his son Pradeep sat on a bundle of firecrackers kept on the front side of the two-wheeler. A moment later the speeding vehicle explodes into flames, killing the boy and his father on the spot.

Three others in the vicinity also sustained serious injuries, the police said.

They were taken to the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry for treatment.