IMPHAL, November 7: At least five persons including two security force personnel and a school going youth were injured in an IED blast near the Imphal Tulihal airport at 9-40 am this morning.
According to police, the improvised explosive device was blasted on the Tiddim Road as a security detail escorting a water tanker from the nearby 18th Sikh Regiment was passing by.
The IED was probably attached to a iron tree guard (enclosure) on the road median of the national Highway 150, police investigations reveal.
Police said, as the security convoy was passing Ghari Makha Leikai the IED was suddenly blasted by a remote controlled device injuring five persons including two security personnel.
The two injured security personnel were the driver of the water truck and the personnel seated in the front seat of the said truck (OSD-162094A) which was also severely damaged in the blast, police further said.
Both the injured personnel were taken to the 18th Sikh Regiment unit hospital located at the airport premises and the damaged vehicle towed was towed away to the post.
The windshield of a passing Maruti van (MN01 8742) was shattered and the van driver injured in the blast.
The van driver has been identified as one Ningthoujam Dilip, aged 35, son of N Ibotomba of Airport colony. A bomb splinter had hit his right leg, according to police.
The two other injured has been identified as Pukhrambam Rohen, aged 17, son of P Sunanjoy of Nambol Pukhrambam and Khangenbam ningol Shanti Devi, aged 60, wife o late Madhubir of Kumbi Setupur Maning Leikai, both of Bishnupur District.
Pukhrambam Rohen is a student of Class IX Science at Comet School and he was seated in the school bus when a splinter hit him in right side of his neck.
Khangenbam Shanti is an Anganwadi Helper and she was on her way to attend a training nearby. She was walking on foot after alighting from a bus when she was hit by a splinter at the right buttock.
N Dilip and Kh Shanti were given first aid at RIMS hospital and discharged, while the condition of Pukhrambam Rohen is said to be critical, according to police and hospital sources.
Meanwhile, another IED bomb was blasted on the National Highway 2 at Khongjom near the entrance of Slopeland Public School under kakching police station as a patrol of 15th Assam Rifles was passing by at around 10-50 am.
According to police, the IED was planted near a culvert on the highway but no one was injured as the AR patrol had already gone by outside the blast perimeter.
Earlier in the morning at around 6-30 am, the 15th Assam Rifles patrol had recovered another IED along with a timer near Wangbal on the National Highway 2 under Thoubal police station.
The police bomb squad retrieved the IED and blasted it near Thoubal Khunou at around 10-40 am today, police further said.