Two children killed, one injured in crude bomb explosion

Two children were killed and another was injured here on Tuesday when a crude bomb they fiddled with went off, police said. The incident happened at Kabirnagar locality under the jurisdiction of Lalmatiya police station, the police.

The crude bomb exploded when Md Imran (8), Md Salman (12) and Md Saqib (7), all residents of Champanagar, touched it while they were collecting wood, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Bhagalpur, Ashish Bharti, said. "The explosive was hidden in the bushes and it exploded when they touched it," the SSP said.

While Imran was killed on the spot, Salman succumbed to injuries at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and hospital here. Saqib, who was injured in the blast, was admitted to the hospital and his condition is stated to be critical, the SSP said.

An investigation has been initiated and sniffer dogs were pressed into service at the explosion site, the police officer said.

(With inputs from agencies.)