Varanasi blast claims second victim

VARANASI - A woman from Madhya Pradesh succumbed to her injuries Saturday, becoming the second casualty of Tuesday’s Varanasi terror blast even as police are still waiting for forensic reports on the nature of explosives used.

“Phoolmani, a pilgrim in her early 40s, died this morning during treatment at the ICU of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) hospital,” R.P. Singh, inspector general, Varanasi range, told IANS.

“The woman died of head injuries,” a senior official of BHU told IANS. “She must have sustained them while falling or from a stone hitting her head,” he added.

Earlier a toddler, Swastika Sharma, was killed and over 30 people injured in the terror blast in the pilgrim town of Varanasi Tuesday.

Police are still clueless about the nature of the explosive used in the blast at the Sheetla Ghat while ‘Ganga aarti’ was being performed.

“Forensic experts from Gujarat are also assisting us to ascertain the nature of explosives used in the blast,” said a senior police official in Varanasi.

Forensic reports would be significant for the Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS), which is heading investigations, as no splinters, remote control device, shrapnel or any electronic circuit were found from the blast site.

“The nature of the blast and how it was triggered are two key questions before us… It’s still a puzzle for us,” a senior police official in Varanasi had told IANS, on condition of anonymity.

“Until these two questions are answered, we would not be in a position to link any terror outfit with the blast,” he added.