National

Four killed in Kolkata blast

KOLKATA: Four persons were killed and six injured, some of them seriously, in an explosion in a slum beside the Hooghly near the Sarbomangala ghat in the city’s North Port thana area on Sunday.

The incident was “not an act of terrorists” according to preliminary investigations, J. Shamim, Deputy Commissioner, Detective Department (I), Kolkata Police, said.

The source of the explosion was being ascertained though initial reports suggested that it could have been a shell, the police said. The Commissioner of Police, with the bomb disposal squad and other officials, visited the spot. The area was sealed off and forensic experts are expected to inspect it on Monday.

The victims were rummaging through a pile of scrap, when the explosion occurred. While two people died on the spot, another two succumbed to injuries later.

The injured were admitted to the city’s R.G. Kar Hospital, the police said.

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