A loud sound of an explosion was heard in Karnataka's Shivamogga on late Thursday night, suspected to be caused by explosive materials kept at a stone crushing site, the police said, adding at least 10 people have been reportedly killed.
This incident took place in Abbalagere village located along the Shivamogga-Hanagal state highway, which passes through Savalunga and Shikaripura.
Shikaripura, 290 km from Bengaluru, is the constituency of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. According to the police, no one was able to reach the site of explosion.
"The incident took place in a stone crushing unit, where generally at least 50 boxes of mining explosive material is stored," the police said.
The impact of the blast was such that a huge crater was created and due to the subsequent heat, the rescue operations could not be started, a police officer said on the condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, another source in the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNMDC) said that a lorry carrying mining explosive material exploded due to which, a loud sound along with earthquake-like vibrations was experienced across Shivamogga district in Karnataka at around 10.20 pm.
"Heat is so much that nobody is able to go there and the smell of explosive material that has spread to about nearly 8-10 km has not subsided. Once the heat and smell reduce, the rescue teams can enter there. We have sealed the entire area and keeping a close watch on it," a police officer said.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has condoled the loss of lives in the blast and demanded an in-depth investigation into the incident.
"The news of blast at stone mining quarry in Karnataka is tragic. Condolences to the families of the victims. Such incidents call for in-depth investigation so that similar tragedies can be avoided in the future," the Congress MP from Kerala's Wayanad said in a tweet. - IANS
