Two soldiers injured in Punjab explosion

LUDHIANA - At least two Indian Army soldiers were injured when an explosive they were carrying to a dump to defuse exploded Sunday morning, police said.

The injured soldiers were immediately moved to a nearby hospital for treatment, police officials said.

The operation to defuse munitions, called ‘Operation Saiyam’ (patience), was started by the army Nov 10 last year to demolish around 17,000 munitions of unknown origin.

The blast took place when one of the troopers was carrying an explosive towards the dumping area where it was to be demolished with other munitions.

“The blast took place while he was carrying it in his hand. The jawans are being treated,” an army source said.

Authorities had discovered the dangerous scrap at the dry port in Punjab’s industrial hub Ludhiana, 110 km from Chandigarh, in 2004 but it took them nearly six years to start the process of demolishing it.

The demolition operation, the biggest one of its kind undertaken by the army, was to be completed in three months.