Three killed in Punjab blast

CHANDIGARH - Three women were killed Saturday in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district when a powerful explosion tore through a house where firecrackers were being made illegally, police said.

The blast near Dhariwal town, 250 km from here, also injured five people including a child and destroyed three other houses too. Police said explosive material was stacked in the illegal factory.

The victims were identified as Lajwanti, 65, Kiran Kumari, 20, and Dimple, 35.

The Batala-Dhariwal belt in Punjabs border district of Gurdaspur is home to many illegal cracker-making units, most of which operate from homes.