Silchar: Two people, 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 took place in Raja Medam area of Jorhat town on Saturday afternoon. According to local residents, the sound of the explosion was huge.
“At first, we thought it was an LPG cylinder explosion, but later we realized it was something different,” a local resident said, adding that they rushed to the scene and found four people injured.
The injured were immediately transferred to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared two of them dead, police said.
The deceased have been identified as Noor Muhammad (45) and Muhammad Iqbal (8), both residents of New Rajamaidam Colony in Jorhat town. The two injured are Sehnaj Begum (12 years old) and Noorjahan Begum (35 years old).
Also Read: The Miya factor continues to dominate the discourse as Assam heads to the polls
Jorhat Police Senior Inspector Sibhajyoti Bora said Noor Mohammed was collecting scrap materials from different parts of the city and storing them in his rented house for further processing.
“Local residents said Nour was processing scrap materials with a hammer when the explosion occurred, and children playing nearby were caught in the explosion,” Bora said. “We are investigating the cause of the explosion.”
Read also: NGT sends notice to Assam government over illegal water drilling in Guwahati
He added that the materials collected by Noor Muhammad are being examined to determine whether there was any other factor behind the accident. He added: “We are conducting additional investigations into the matter, and the bodies have been sent for autopsy.”
The incident sparked tension in the area, as residents expressed fear and concern for their safety. The police confirmed that the explosion was not caused by the explosion of a liquefied gas cylinder, but the severity of the explosion caused panic.
