Blast in Hoshiarpur shanty leaves 2 dead

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, September 4

An explosion in a shanty in a slum cluster in Bhangi choe near Mahavir Setu left two persons, including a woman, dead. Four others were seriously injured.

The cause of the blast could not be ascertained, but it is being assumed that a shell in the scrap could have caused it as the shanty belongs to a scrap dealer.

According to police sources, the shell might have been gathered from an Army training camp in Dada village, around 10 km from here. A bomb squad was called and the area was searched, but nothing suspicious was found.

Additional deputy commissioner (development) Harbir Singh, SP Kulwant Singh and other police officials also visited the spot.

While other slum dwellers expressed ignorance about the cause of the blast, the police are assuming that the victims were trying to extract metal from the shell that exploded.

The blast took place in the house of Fakiria (65) who lived there with his sons Ramkumar and Dalbir. Dalbir’s mother Mamo (60) and Mohan Lal (30), who was working in a nearby paint shop, died in the incident.

Dalbir’s nine-year-old daughter Amarvati, father Fakiria (65), Taria (60) and Gulshan, a resident of Shastri Nagar, were injured. The injured were admitted to civil hospital, Hoshiarpur.