Woman killed in abandoned mortar shell explosion

A woman was killed and three others injured in an explosion of a abandoned mortar shell at Maidharchala village in Ghatail upazila yesterday.

The dead was identified as Moyna Khatun, 23, daughter of late Yakub Ali of the village.

Confirming the incident, Sanjit Kumar Roy, superintendent of police at Tangail, said the woman had entered the restricted Firing Range area illegally and collected used mortar shells.

The explosion took place in her house, leaving her dead, the SP said. 

Police sent the body to Tangail General Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Abul Kalam Azad, chairman of Digor Union Parishad, said Moyna used to collect used mortar shells from the Firing Range area and sell these as scrap metal. She went there yesterday and returned home at around 12:30pm, after collecting shells in a bag.

The explosion took place when she emptied the bag by pouring the shells on the ground.

The injured -- Sharif Miah, 35, and Mohammad Joinuddin, 60, of the same village, and one Abdur Razzak, 50, of Elenga in Kalihati upazila -- were sent to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) of Ghatail cantonment, he said.