India: 6 dead as truck with mining explosives blows up

NEW DELHI

At least six people were killed in a blast near a quarry in India’s southern Karnataka state, officials said on Friday morning.

A truck carrying mining explosives blew up late on Thursday night in Shivamogga district, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the state capital Bengaluru.

The huge blast was heard in neighboring districts and triggered panic in the area, with news channels showing visuals of anxious residents gathered outside houses with shattered windows.

“Six people have died and we have been able to identify two of them so far,” Nagaraj NJ, a revenue official in the area, told Anadolu Agency over the phone.

The death toll is expected to rise further, according to a tweet by Arvind Limbavali, a minister in the state government.

“Deeply upset by the unfortunate death of more than 6 laborers in the sudden dynamite lorry blast in Hunasodu village, Shivamogga,” he said on Twitter.

The government has ordered a probe and investigation teams have reached the area.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “pained by the loss of lives” in the explosion.