MUZAFFARABAD: Two children were killed in an explosion in a remote village of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), on Thursday. The explosion also injured their mother, sister and a friend. The nature of the explosion is yet to be confirmed.

The incident took place in Chanyalan, a hamlet on the outskirts of Bagh at around 1pm.

After inspecting the scene, Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Bagh Kamran Ali told Dawn that Rimsha 6 and her brother Moeed 8 were playing in the courtyard of their house with another child from the neighbourhood, Aizaz 8.

Quoting eyewitnesses, including Aizaz, the SSP said Rimsha brought an empty paint can from inside the house. The explosive device was placed inside the paint can.

Rimsha showed the can to her brother who began chasing her. As she climbed a mud wall, she dropped the can which exploded with a bang, killing both children on the spot.

The children’s mother Ayesha, elder sister Muqaddas and their friend Aizaz also got injured in the explosion although their injuries are reported to not be serious, the SSP said.

The SSP rejected the claims by some media outlets that the deaths were caused by a toy bomb and said it is premature to decide what kind of explosive it was.

“The pallets and pieces of plastic collected from the scene suggest that the explosion could have been caused by an old hand grenade. Samples would be sent to a forensic lab in Lahore or Islamabad for a final decision,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2015

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