Blast from the past: 3 children die playing with ‘1965 war’ bomb

HYDERABAD:

Three children died and eight others were injured on Thursday when an explosive device detonated in a small border village in Sanghar district.

The incident occurred in Meho Thakur village, some 80 kilometres from Sanghar city. Five-year-old Jhaman died on the spot while eight-year-old Ramesh died in hospital. Dilip, 18, died on the way to hospital in Hyderabad.

“The children were playing with what they thought was a metal ball,” SSP Abdullah Shaikh said. “It is believed that a bomb, unused during the Indo-Pak war of 1965, may have surfaced as heavy monsoon rains flooded all parts of the district.”

Police believes the children found the explosive device floating in the water, while locals said it was found along the Indian border. The Bomb Disposal Squad could not reach the area, Shaikh said, as the road network is inundated.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd,  2011.