Seven killed, 20 injured in fire after blast in Nagaland

DGP Doungel however did not rule out the possibility of the licensed gun-shop illegally storing gelatin sticks and TNT. “Going by preliminary reports and the intensity of the first explosion which triggered off a devastating fire that spread to adjoining houses, it appears that the licences gun-shop had some illegal stock of gelatin and TNT,” the DGP told The Indian Express.

The fire which spread to adjoining houses in the crowded marjet area of Wokha town, also caused some domestic LPG cylinders to explode, leading to more casualties and damage. “While four persons including the wife of the gun-shop owner were killed inside the gun-shop, one old lady and two minors were killed in one of the adjoining houses that caught fire leading to explosion of gas cylinders, he added.

The incident also led to a chaos as the gun-shop was located in a market area with a taxi stand nearby, in which several other people were injured. “At least 20 people were injured, some in a stampede-like situation as people tried to flee in panic. While some were released from the district hospital, about a dozen are still in hospital. The condition of a few of them are critical,” the DGP said.

Nagaland home minister Y Patton said several explosions occurring one after the other in the gun-shop and the adjoining houses led to an inferno that engulfed two more adjoining buildings. The building in which the gun-shop was located collapsed due to the impact of the explosions. Some people were also trapped in the buildings that caught fire, and had to be rescued by the fire brigade.