Mathura: The toll in the blast at a
scrap shop here increased to eight with the death of a woman,
a senior police official said on Thursday.
"Farida, the wife of Mustaqeem, succumbed to her
injuries, taking the number of deaths in the explosion to
eight," Senior Superintendent of Police B D Paulson said.
She had been referred to the S N Medical College Agra
for treatment after suffering serious injuries in the blast.
The blast took place yesterday in the scrap shop in
Nai Basti area of the city when the victims were extricating
metal from an army shell.
Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Karamveer
Singh said an examination of two more shells recovered from
the spot indicated that they had been used by the army
earlier.
"The shell is very old and has the design of shells
manufactured in 1964. It would have been used till 1980-84,"
he said.
The state government has announced financial
assistance of Rs one lakh to kin of the people killed in the
blast and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
BSP legislator Lekhraj Chaudhary went to Nai Basti
area with the Mathura Tehsildar and gave an amount of Rs one
lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.
PTI
