Six persons were killed and at least 21 persons were injured in an explosion in a gun shop in Nagaland’s Wokha town in Wokha district on Tuesday morning.
Director General of Police, Nagaland L.L. Doungel told The Hindu that the explosion occurred around 10.30 a.m. in a licensed gun shop located in the middle of the town. He said that impact of the explosion was very high and the building caught fire and its ceiling collapsed.
The explosion and subsequent fire also affected nearby buildings.
“While six persons died in the explosion, at least 21 persons were injured. We suspect that explosives were probably illegally stored in the gun shop which must have caused the explosion. Although it is a licensed gun shop, the owner is not authorised to store explosives,” said the DGP and added that some people use such illegally stored explosives for stone quarrying or for hunting.
He said that prompt arrival of fire tenders at the spot prevented the fire from spreading and causing more devastation.
The injured have been admitted to hospital and investigations into the incident were on, he added.
