86-year-old man dies in bomb blast in Kerala's Kannur

Velayudhan was seriously injured in the explosion and rushed to the Thalassery Cooperative Hospital but his life could not be saved, police said.

Thiruvananthapuram: An 86-year-old man died in a bomb explosion near Thalassery in this north Kerala district on Tuesday.

Velayudhan suffered fatal injuries after he tried to break open a steel tiffin box found at a vacant land in his locality on Tuesday.

According to local sources, he suffered serious injuries on both hands. Though he was rushed to the Thalassery Cooperative Hospital but his life could not be saved.

"It may have been discarded here or may have been deliberately concealed here," police said, adding that the incident occurred around 12.45 pm.

A probe is on to find the source of the explosive.

Ahead of the elections, a CPI(M) worker died and two others suffered burn injuries while making explosives at Panoor near Thalassery. The Congress had alleged that the CPM was making country bombs to unleash violence during elections.

With PTI input