Four injured as unexploded shell goes off in Kashmir

Srinagar, Aug 17: Four people were injured when an unexploded shell of 21 Field Ordnance Depot went off in village Nowgam in south Kashmir last night, a police spokesman said.

With this a total of 30 people have been injured in the blasts after a devastating fire followed by thousands of explosions destroyed 40 per cent of the depot barracks on last Saturday.

According to the spokesman an unexploded shell at Nowgam, adjacent to depot at Khandroo, went off injuring four people.

The injured have been hospitalised.

Thousands of villagers migrated from about a dozen affected villages after the fire in the depot.

Reports said villagers were visiting their homes in the affected villages, despite warning by the Army and civil authorities to wait till all the unexploded shells were defused by the Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) airlifted from different commands across the border.

A senior army officer recently said it will take a week or ten days to clear the shells from the villages.

However, he said, it will take two to six months to complete the operation and declare the area safe for farming and other activities.

The defence authorities have already ordered a court of inquiry (COI) into the incident in which ammunition worth billions has been destroyed as the depot was supplying arms and ammunition to all depots in different parts of the valley besides Kargil and Leh.

Fire broke out in the depot in the morning of August 11, leaving 18 persons, including one officer, 15 firefighters and two civilians dead, while injuring 16 people. One woman also died after a shell exploded in a village.

Three people, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) are still missing.

The officers said the casualties and structural damage have been significantly less than initially assessed.

The Chief Of the Army Staff (COAS) has already announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs one lakh for all civilians who died during the tragedy while the seriously injured would be paid Rs 50,000.

UNI