IMPHAL, October 26: Six persons were injured in twin blasts at Alu Gali, Thangal Bazar today at around 8 pm amidst hectic festivities of Diwali festival.
The twin blasts occurred at the same time, one inside Milan Enterprises and the other at the staircase of Indian Overseas Bank which is about 30 metres from the previous spot.
The injured persons have been identified as Sultana, 20, d/o Nijammuddin of Kshetrigao Awang Leikai, Md Farooq, 23, s/o Yakub Ali of Lilong Mayai Leikai, Manish Sekhawat, 16, s/o Dasharat of Alu Gali, Manicha Sekhawat, 12, d/o Dasharat of Alu Gali, Mustakim, 16, s/o Shiyauddin of Masjid Road and Kusum Agarwal, 28, w/o Nitish Agarwal of Paona Bazar.
The injured persons have been admitted to RIMS and Raj Polyclinic for treatment. They sustained splinter injuries, but none of them is in critical condition.
According to the police, the bombs could be Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted at the spots before.
The explosion ripped the metal shutters of Milan Enterprises and caused damages to major portion of the shop. The collapsible doors of Indian Overseas Bank were also damaged by the explosion.
Several shops and houses nearby the blast sites were hit by splinters.
A team of high ranking police officials along with the bomb squad conducted searches at the blast sites.
There could have been more casualties if the blasts took place at the busy hours when people came out to witness the festive lights of Diwali.