2 killed in crude bomb explosion near Kolkata: Police

Two persons were killed and another seriously injured after crude bombs, which were kept in a shanty, exploded in Kamarhati in the northern outskirts of Kolkata on Sunday, police said.

The blast happened around 5.30 pm and it partially damaged a shanty in the congested Dhobighat area near the India Foils factory, Barrackpore Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma told PTI.

Three persons were found lying inside the shanty after the blast, he said.

They were taken to the Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital and two of them were declared brought dead, he added.

The other person is undergoing treatment and his condition is stated to be critical, Verma said.

Asked if the three were making crude bombs when the explosion occurred, he said, "That is not yet clear."

A bomb squad and a forensic team are expected to visit the site on Monday to confirm the exact cause and circumstances behind the incident, he said.

The incident triggered panic in the area, which is located in the North 24 Parganas district.