Overview
- Police say the boys, aged 8 to 10, were playing near stored construction materials in Madhya Kharagachhi when the drum exploded.
- Locals rushed the children to Nalmuri Rural Hospital; three were later moved to M R Bangur Hospital in Kolkata, with one reported in critical condition.
- Kolkata Police bomb and dog squads inspected the site, the BDDS found no additional threats, and a forensic examination has been requisitioned.
- Officers are probing accidental triggers, with lines of inquiry including a discarded hand-rolled cigarette or an impact with the drum during play.
- The drum was reportedly a roughly 200-litre LDO container kept for a 7-km road project, the contractor is said to be missing from the site, and residents are questioning safety protocols.