West Bengal: 7 Year-Old Dead and Five Injured in Jalpaiguri Mortar Shell Blast

A tragic incident unfolded in the Chhapadanga area of Jalpaiguri district, resulting in the death of a seven-year-old child and injuries to five others as a mortar shell exploded, according to local law enforcement. The Jalpaiguri incident followed shortly after the Sikkim government issued a precautionary advisory, urging individuals not to handle explosives or ammunition discovered in the Teesta basin.

On Thursday evening, the mortar shell detonated in the Kranti block of Jalpaiguri district at Chhapadanga. The young victim was identified as seven-year-old Sahinur Alam. A police officer provided details of the incident, stating, “Several children were collecting firewood near the Teesta River when they came across a mortar shell floating in the water. They retrieved it and brought it home. It is believed that the shell originated from the Indian Army and was swept away by the river during the cloudburst on Wednesday night.”

The five individuals injured in the explosion were transported to Jalpaiguri Hospital and North Bengal Hospital, where they are currently receiving medical treatment. Additional information is pending as the investigation continues.

The Sikkim government had previously cautioned residents about the potential discovery of explosives and ammunition along the Teesta River’s banks following damage to an army ammunition depot in north Sikkim due to flash floods following which incident at Jalpaiguri took place. An advisory issued by the state’s land revenue and disaster management department urged locals not to handle or pick up these items, as they could pose a significant risk of exploding and causing severe injuries.

Tragically, flash floods in Sikkim have already claimed the lives of at least 19 people, including six army personnel, as confirmed by the State Disaster Management Authority. The search for missing individuals continues downstream of the Teesta River, and efforts are underway to locate 16 missing soldiers in Sikkim.

Sikkim’s Chief Secretary, Vijay Bhushan Pathak, provided an update, stating, “According to the checkpost data available, around 3,000 people are stranded in Lachen and Lachung. They include 700-800 drivers and about 150 people who had visited these places on two-wheelers. We are in the process of evacuating all stranded people using choppers of the Army and the Indian Air Force.”

The flash floods were triggered by a cloudburst and heavy rainfall in South Lhonak Lake, situated in North West Sikkim, resulting in the destruction of the Indreni bridge in Singtam town and another connecting bridge in Balutar hamlet, located approximately 30 kilometres from Gangtok, as reported by the district administration in Gangtok.

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