Imphal: Three people were killed and four others injured when a powerful blast rocked Manipur’s capital city Imphal on Sunday, police said.
“An IED (improvised explosive device) that was planted by the roadside near Khuyathong area, close to Imphal market, exploded at 6 am, killing three migrant labourers on the spot and injuring four others,” a police official said.
He said the labourers, all non-Manipuris, gathered for tea in Khuyathong, which is about one km from Imphal city police station, when the blast took place.
Labourers – identified as Shiv Yadav, 35, Lalan, 35, and Kusum Pandit, 60 – were working as load men in the area, he said.
The official said the injured have been rushed to the Regional Institute of Medical Science and Hospital here. Their condition is stated to be critical.
Senior police officials along with additional security forces have rushed to the spot and launched a combing operation to arrest those responsible for the explosion.
No militant group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast.
Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and Home Minister Gaikhangam Gangmei visited the injured at the hospital. (IANS)