Indian 2 sets accident: The men were inside a box-like structure on crane when it crashed

Three men were killed on the sets of a Kamal Haasan film after a crane on which they were sitting on broke apart and crashed to the ground. All three were assistant directors of the film, Indian 2, being shot at EVP Film City near Chennai.

Nine others were injured.

The three killed were assistant director Krishna, art assistant Chandran and Madhu, a production assistant, production house Lyca said in a statement.

"The men were inside the box-like structure on top of the crane when it crashed. It appears they were working on lighting for the shoot. The incident happened at 9:30 pm on Wednesday," a police officer told NDTV.

Director Shankar is making the sequel to the 1996 film, Indian. Police sources said it's not known whether Shankar was at the site when the crane came crashing down.

"Kamal Haasan was at another location inside the complex when the incident happened," said a source who asked not to be identified.

"The accident is cruel. I lost three colleagues. More than my pain, the grief of their families would be immense. I share their sorrow. My deep condolences to them," Kamal Haasan said.

Indian 2, an action thriller, is being seen as Kamal Haasan's film that dabbles in politics. The Tamil Nadu assembly election is due next year.

A case of negligence has been filed against the crane operator and the production manager, the Chennai police said. "We will fix responsibility based on the forensic report," a police officer said.