Kanpur: A powerful explosion near a mosque in Kanpur’s Moolganj area on Wednesday evening sparked panic across the busy market. Two parked scooters reportedly exploded simultaneously around 7:30 PM, injuring six people, including a woman.
The blast, so intense that it was heard up to 500 metres away, caused cracks in the walls of four nearby shops and shattered several windows.
The injured were immediately rushed to Ursula Hospital for treatment. Police teams along with the bomb squad and forensic experts reached the spot and began collecting samples to determine the cause of the explosion.
According to local shopkeeper Abdul Hamid, two scooters were parked outside his toy shop when the sudden explosion took place. Flames engulfed the area, burning passers-by and damaging property. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as people fled the market in panic. Shop owner Shahbaz Akhtar said the blast brought down part of Abdul Amir’s shop roof and heavily damaged adjoining stores, including those of Mohammad Kashif and Abdul. “Everything shook, people screamed, and we ran outside,” recalled another trader, Mohammad Uvais. Authorities have sealed the area and are investigating whether the explosion was caused by a technical fault or a planted device.
Three Seriously Burned
Suhana (70), Abdul (60), Riyaduin (70), and Ashwani Kumar (50) suffered severe burns over 50% of their bodies after twin scooters exploded near a mosque in Kanpur’s Moolganj market. Six people were injured in total. Nearby shops were damaged. Police are investigating the cause of the blast.
