Sri Lanka police say detonators stored with dynamite likely caused deadly explosion

Police: Safety lapse likely caused Sri Lanka blast

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Police say improperly stored detonators are likely to have triggered a dynamite explosion that killed 25 people and injured dozens in eastern Sri Lanka.

Three containers of explosives used for road construction exploded Friday inside a police compound, destroying the police station and a nearby agriculture office crowded with farmers.

A police officer involved in the investigation said Saturday the detonators were stored together with dynamite in one of the containers and may have been accidentally activated by a worker who was removing them for the day’s work.

The dynamite, used to blast rock, was stored in the police compound for security reasons.

Two Chinese citizens and 16 police were among the dead. Fifty-two others were wounded in the blast.