Guwahati, Oct 6: In a tragic incident, two persons were killed and four injured after a mortar shell washed away in Sikkim’s floods through Teesta river exploded in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri on Thursday night.
According to police, the mortar shell belonged to the Army washed away in Teesta river from Bordang to Jalpaiguri following the cloudburst and flash floods in Sikkim on Wednesday.
Police said the four injured people have been admitted to the hospital.
The identities of the two killed in the blast are yet to be ascertained.
According to the police, the victims, after spotting the mortar shell, tried to physically inspect it, which was carried to the area by the floodwaters when it exploded on Thursday night.
The condition of a couple of the four injured is extremely critical.
The Sikkim government on Thursday warned against the presence of explosives and ammunition along the banks of the Teesta River after an ammunition depot of the army in the northern part of the state was hit by flash floods a day earlier.
On the other hand, the central government has approved a relief package of Rs 44.8 crore for the flood-ravaged northeastern state of Sikkim.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah approved the release of Rs 44.8 crore to provide relief to flood-hit people in Sikkim.