Two persons were injured in a blast that occurred in Jogunigudda village near Gokarna on Wednesday morning. According to sources, the blast occurred at the house of Ibrahim Rehaman Saab, vice-president of a co-operative society, and his wife Mumtaz, member of Nadumaskeri Gram Panchayat. The couple was not at home when the blast occurred.
It is said that the sound of the blast on Wednesday could be heard at a distance of about 8 km from the blast site. The house where the blast occurred was completely damaged and an adjacent shop in the area was partially damaged. The house owner said that it was LPG cylinder blast. But later it was found that the explosion was due to some chemicals stored in the place.
The police identified the injured persons as Prema Narayan Durgad and Ravi Keshav Naik. Both of them were seriously injured and were shifted to hospital in Honnavar.
The police called the Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) experts from Bangalore to help in the investigation. Superintendent of Police Raman Gupta said it would be investigated as to how explosive materials reached the house of Ibrahim.
Jogunigudda and Gangavali village are popular for their cracker manufacturing units. Locals say that although only two persons in the area possess the licence to manufacture crackers, 60 families are engaged in the business.
