Police in northern India say at least three children were killed and six others wounded on Wednesday while playing with an artillery shell near a military firing base.
Local authorities say the children were trying to open the device to remove brass from it when it exploded in a village near the city of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh state. The blast also damaged six nearby houses.
Indian artillery units frequently test artillery guns at the firing base, but unexploded shells are cleared by soldiers after each firing session to avoid accidents.
The French News Agency quotes police chief Amol Verma as saying that, in this case, the children hid the shell and tried to dismantle it after the soldiers had given up their search.
Local authorities say the children were trying to open the device to remove brass from it when it exploded in a village near the city of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh state. The blast also damaged six nearby houses.
Indian artillery units frequently test artillery guns at the firing base, but unexploded shells are cleared by soldiers after each firing session to avoid accidents.
The French News Agency quotes police chief Amol Verma as saying that, in this case, the children hid the shell and tried to dismantle it after the soldiers had given up their search.