Shopian, Apr 30 : Two persons were killed and another critically injured when a steamer exploded during installation at a cold storage facility in the Aglar area of this south Kashmir district on Wednesday late evening, officials said.
The deceased were identified as Saroop Singhal and Dileep Kumar, both residents of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. The injured, Ram Kumar, also from Aligarh, is stated to be in critical condition and undergoing treatment at a hospital, they said.
An official said the blast occurred when the company’s manager and an engineer were engaged in installing the steamer at Zum Zum cold store inside the fruit mandi.
“The explosion was massive, and the loud sound could be heard from a distance of 200 metres,” an eyewitness, Muhram Ali, said. He added that a fire broke out at the spot following the blast.
All three injured were initially rushed to the District Hospital Shopian, where two of them succumbed to their injuries, officials said.
A police official said a case has been registered and an investigation initiated to ascertain the exact cause of the explosion. Further proceedings are underway he added. (KNS)
