Shivamogga: At least eight persons were killed in a dynamite blast at a railway crusher site in Karnataka’s Hunasodu village in the Shivamogga district on Friday, district collector KB Shivakumar told news agency ANI. The possibility of subsequent explosions at the quarry at Hunasondi near village Abbalagere has not been ruled out by the police since some dynamite sticks are still live, the police said. A bomb disposal squad has been called in and the entire area has been sealed.
The massive explosion took place near gravel and boulder crushing facility around 10.30 pm, sending shockwaves not only in Shivamogga, but also in neighbouring Chikkamagaluru and Davangere districts, according to news agency PTI. An eye witness said the blast was so strong that window panes shattered while many houses and even roads developed cracks.
A mysterious sound similar to an explosion reported in #Shivamogga and its neighbouring areas at around 10.20 pm, forcing the people to come out of their houses in panic….The sound was also heard in #Koppa & #NR_Pura of #Chikkamagaluru district. pic.twitter.com/XGQDrtWmMw
— Vijay Bhatt (@vijay_059) January 21, 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of blast victims. “Pained by the loss of lives in Shivamogga. Condolences to the bereaved families. Praying that the injured recover soon. The State Government is providing all possible assistance to the affected,” he said in a tweet.
The sound was earlier mistaken to have been caused by an earthquake, following which geologists were approached, who ruled out recording tremors in any of their observatories.
“There was no earthquake. But an explosion did take place at Hunsur on the outskirts of Shivamogga under the Rural Police station limits,” a police officer told PTI.
In May last year, a loud sound rattled Bengaluru which was later confirmed by the Defence Department to have been caused by a test flight.
