New Delhi: At least six people were injured in a blast in Kanpur’s bustling Mishri Bazaar area Wednesday evening, Kanpur Nagar Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said. A parked scooter, believed to be the source of the explosion, has been identified.
The blast took place at around 7.15 pm. Two people, including a woman, and a man who had ridden the scooter, allegedly owned by his son, to the market, are in critical condition. They, along with two others, were being shifted to Lucknow PGI at the time of filing this report.
Additional Commissioner of Police Ashutosh Kumar, who reached the spot soon after the incident, said a preliminary lab test has indicated the use of low grade explosives, like those used in firecrackers. The explosion is suspected to have originated from the scooter’s side box.
“It appears crackers were being sold surreptitiously in this crammed market, and prima facie, it appears explosives used in crackers were the source of this blast. Efforts are being made to contact the scooter’s owner, but he appears to be preoccupied with tending to his father’s injuries,” Kumar told ThePrint.
Shortly after the incident, a forensic team arrived at the site and collected samples.
This is a developing news story.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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