Truck loaded with explosive material seized in north Kashmir

Srinagar, Sep 6 (UNI) Army has seized a truck loaded with scrap of exploded and unexploded shells at Khandroo where 15 villages were affected by the August 11 fire and subsequent blasts in the 21 Field Ordinance Depot in south Kashmir, a defence ministry spokesman has said.

He said despite warnings issued by the Army, police and civil administration against collecting the scrap of exploded or unexploded shells, villagers are still collecting and storing the explosive material in their homes and fields.

''This is very dangerous as these can go off and could result in death or making a person handicapped'', he warned.

He said the truck was being taken out from the Khandroo when alert troops seized it.

He again appealed to villagers of these affected villages around the ammunition depot at Khandroo, not to touch or lift unidentified metal and should immediately inform the nearest Army or Police post to avoid any tragedy.

There are reports that villagers have been collecting scattered explosive materials to be sold as scrap for monetary gains, he said adding that it could be dangerous for life and property.

He said the Army and Jammu and Kashmir police carried out joint operations and recovered 600 kg explosive scrap and two live shells of 105 mm at Khandroo recently.

He said one villager was killed and six others were wounded when one of the scrap, collected by them, exploded in the compound of their house.

It was also learnt that the individual and two other villagers were employees in the ammunition depot and had collected the explosive scrap.

About ten thousand people in 15 villages had to migrate to safer places after a major fire followed by several explosions for about 48 hours damaged 40 per cent of one of the biggest ammunition depots in North India on August 11, killing 22 people, including an Army Major and 15 firefighters.

However, the Army authorities pressed into service more than 100 Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS), airlifted from different commands, to clear the unexploded shells from the affected villages.

The authorities have recently declared that the affected villages were cleared of all unexploded shells and allowed villagers to return to their homes with the warning that they should inform police or army about any scrap or object in their area.

The BDS have now started detecting and defusing unexploded shells from the fields and orchards in these affected villages.

UNI