Four injured in blast at defunct agro unit

Industry closed a decade ago, box containing detonators set on fire

All the injured - Nanjunda, Asif, Nurulla and Murugan - were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital and are stated to be out of danger. While Nanjunda is a driver, the remaining three are security guards, police said.

According to Sanjaynagar police, the unit, Agro Industries, was shutdown ten years ago. The management had planned to auction the used equipment and other material at the unit and the four were busy shifting the material.

Two arrested

While disposing of a  box, they set it on fire without realising that it contained the detonators. Within minutes the box exploded injuring all the four, police said.  The unit had an explosives squad which used to blast boulders with detonators while sinking borewells and a box containing such detonators had remained unused. Unit official Krishnamurthy and Nanjunda have been arrested for negligence.

The situation turned tense in the area as loud sound was heard following the blast. A large number of people gathered near the unit presuming that it to be bomb blast.

The police had tough time in controlling the crowd. Traffic was partially affected for sometime on Bellary road due to the incident.