Mysterious blast damages house in UP's Etah, probe underway

Etah (UP), Jul 16 (PTI) A mysterious explosion damaged a house in Uttar Pradesh's Etah district in the early hours of Thursday, blowing off its main gate and cracking the walls, while the family sleeping on the upper floor escaped unhurt, police said. The incident took place in a village in the Aliganj area in Etah. No injuries or casualties were reported. According to police, the family had returned home around midnight after closing their shop. After having dinner, all family members went to sleep on the upper floor. There was no electricity at the house at the time. A family member, Rita Gupta, said they were awakened by a loud explosion early morning. "When we came downstairs, we found that the main gate had been blown away and the walls had developed cracks. The explosion was so powerful that we could not immediately understand what had happened," she said. The blast drew a large number of villagers to the spot, triggering speculation about its cause. Aliganj Station House Officer Rupesh Verma said police received information about the incident through Dial-112 and immediately reached the spot. "According to local residents, the explosion occurred at around 3.40 am. In view of the seriousness of the incident, the field unit (of police) was called to collect scientific evidence from the scene," Verma said. He said police have collected crucial evidence and are investigating all possible angles to ascertain the cause of the explosion. "The exact cause will be known only after the investigation and forensic examination are completed," the officer added. PTI COR KIS SKY SKY