Silchar: Two persons, including a 45-year-old scrap material collector and an 8-year-old boy, died and two others were injured after an unidentified explosion in Assam’s Jorhat district on Saturday, police said.
The incident occurred in the Raja Maidam area of Jorhat town on Saturday afternoon. According to locals, the sound of the explosion was massive.
“Initially, we thought it was an LPG cylinder blast, but later we realized it was something different,” a local resident said, adding that they rushed to the spot and found four people injured.
Police said the injured were immediately taken to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared two of them dead.
The deceased have been identified as Noor Mohammad (45) and Mohammad Iqbal (8), both residents of Rajamaidam New Colony in Jorhat town. The injured are Sehnaj Begum (12) and Noorjahan Begum (35).
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Senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Jorhat, Sibhrajyoti Bora, said that Noor Mohammad used to collect scrap materials from various parts of the town and store them at his rented house for further processing.
{{/usCountry}}Senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Jorhat, Sibhrajyoti Bora, said that Noor Mohammad used to collect scrap materials from various parts of the town and store them at his rented house for further processing.
{{/usCountry}}“Locals said Noor was processing the scrap materials with a hammer when the explosion occurred, and children playing nearby were caught in the blast. We are examining the cause of the explosion,” Bora said.
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He added that the materials collected by Noor Mohammad are being examined to determine if there was any other factor behind the incident. “We are investigating the matter further, and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem,” he said.
The incident has created tension in the area, with residents expressing fear and concern over safety. Police confirmed that it was not an LPG cylinder blast, but the intensity of the explosion has triggered panic.