3 minors among 4 killed in blast in Jharkhand's Palamu

Medininagar (Jharkhand): At least four persons, including three minors, were killed and three others were injured on Sunday in a blast in Jharkhand's Palamu, police said.

The blast occurred at a scrap dealer's place in the Manatu Police Station area, about 190 km from the state capital Ranchi, a senior officer said.

The incident took place on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections to four seats, including Palamu, in Jharkhand.

"Four persons, including three minors, were killed and three others were injured in the incident," Palamu Superintendent of Police (SP) Reeshma Ramesan told PTI.

She said, "We are investigating the incident from every angle, exploring all possibilities, including the likelihood of a bomb detonation," she added.

The SP said that a forensic team has been asked to probe into the incident.

The deceased scrap dealer was identified as Isteyak Ansari (50) and others who were killed in the blast were Sahadat Ansari (8), Shaheed Ansari (8) and Varish Ansari (10).

Those who suffered injury were identified as Majid Ansari (7), Afsana Khatun (14) and Rukhsana Khatun (17).

Rukhsana told the police that her father was sorting and weighing various scrap materials when the blast took place.

"Suddenly something in the scrap materials exploded, injuring everyone in the vicinity," she said.

The police, in a statement, said, "Prima facie, the death was due to an accidental explosion caused by debris accumulated and stored at the deceased residence. Detailed investigation is underway and experts from the FSL team are also looking into the matter."