Representative image of a blast.
Credit: iStock Photo
Dehradun: Eight people were injured, two of them severely, in an explosion on Thursday at a scrap dealer's shop in the Raipur area of the city, police said.
The blast occurred when a partially exploded mortar shell went off, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajai Singh told PTI.
The scrap shop in Kidduwala under the Raipur police station area is not far from a firing range, he said.
Scrap dealers in the area often pick up waste materials from the range, the SSP said.
A fire unit and a bomb disposal squad were rushed to the spot, Superintendent of Police (City) Pramod Kumar said, adding that the blast took place after 2 pm.
Five of the injured were undergoing treatment at the Doon Hospital and the condition of two of them is stated to be serious, Kumar said.
Three others who sustained minor injuries were admitted to the Coronation Hospital, he said, adding that investigations are on.
Uttarakhand Congress senior vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana, who met with the injured, said the blast took place when a boy tried to break an object with a hammer.