Three children critically injured in bomb explosion in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district

Three children were critically injured on December 20, after a country-made bomb exploded while they were playing in Molnoi Kuki village under Pallel police station in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district, police said.
The incident occurred around 12.50 pm when the children allegedly mistook the explosive device for a ball while playing in front of a house in the village. One of the minors is feared to have sustained severe injuries in the blast, police added.

The injured have been identified as Hemgou Hou Baite (10), son of Douthanglen Baite; Jamgubsai Baite (8), son of Douthangleb Baite; and Ngamgunmang Haokip (8), son of late Haokholen Haokip.
They were initially taken to the Komlathabi Primary Health Centre and later shifted to a facility of the Assam Rifles at Pallel. Owing to the seriousness of their injuries, the children were subsequently referred to CMC Hospital in Koirengei for advanced treatment.

Following the explosion, police from Tengnoupal police station, along with security forces, rushed to the spot and launched a search operation. During the operation, a cache of country-made bombs was recovered from an abandoned structure in the area.

“Only one bomb exploded while the children were playing. The source of the explosives and the circumstances under which they were placed in the village are yet to be ascertained,” a police officer said, adding that an FIR has been registered and an investigation is underway.