Blast in Udupi village kills two women

Udupi, June 19: Two women lost their lives when an explosive storage shed was blown up at a village in Udupi district on Tuesday evening.

The deceased have been identified as Ambika Malesh (24), a resident of Bagalkot and Malavva (35) from Kushtagi in Koppal district.

Udupi Superintendent of Police M B Boralingaiah said that the blast occurred at Sooda village in Karkala taluk at around 5:30 pm, when the two women were taking shelter near the shed, as it was raining heavily.

Though the police have confirmed that there were blasting materials belonging to a licenced jelly quarrying unit kept inside the RCC shed, they have declined to ascertain the cause of the blast.

“It was raining heavily coupled with thunder and lighting and hence we cannot immediately confirm the cause of the blast”, said Mr Boralingaiah.

However, local sources said that the blast occurred when the explosives got ignited due to the lightning strike.

After conducting the spot inspection along with police team, Karkala Tahsildar Jaganath Rao said that nearly 90 explosive materials belonging to a quarry run by Joy Crusher Stones, were kept inside the shed.

He said that entire shed was blown up when the lightning struck the stockpile of explosives.

The intensity of the blast was such that body of the one of the deceased was blown into smithereens. It is learnt that both the victims were employed in the same quarry for the past five years.