Assam blast kills child during Chhath festival

Suspected ULFA militants triggered the blasts at Sunsali village in Guwahati during the celebration of the Chhath festival.

A child died and another person was critically hurt on Saturday in two blasts during a religious festival in Assam, police officials said.

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A police spokesman said suspected militants of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) triggered the blasts at Sunsali village on the outskirts of Guwahati, where a large number of people had gathered on the banks of a river for the Chhath festival.

"An 11-year-old boy was killed on the spot and another seriously injured in the attack. There were two explosions in the same area in a span of about 10 minutes although there were no casualties in the second blast," Rajen Singh, additional police chief of Guwahati city, told IANS.

There were about 500 people in the area when the explosions took place. "We believe it was an improvised explosive device concealed in a bag," he said.

Three people were killed and 20 injured when suspected ULFA rebels triggered an explosion Friday at a crowded marketplace in the northern Dhekiajuli town. No rebel group has claimed responsibility for the explosions.