Four injured in blast during Hornbill festival in Nagaland

The gunpowder to be used for handmade muzzle-loading firearms, an attraction of the festival, was being dried up when the blast occurred. Representational pic

Four people were injured in a blast at a site where gunpowder was being manually dried up during the ongoing Hornbill festival in Nagaland's Kisama village, an official said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on the premises of a morung, belonging to the Sangtam tribe, on Tuesday when the gunpowder caught fire and burst, he said.

Morung is a traditional cultural house of the Nagas, set up by the respective tribes, to showcase heritage, customs and village life to visitors at Kisama, where the festival was underway.

"The four people were injured in the incident and were taken to a hospital. Three of them had minor injuries, while one sustained severe burn injuries on his face and hands. He is now out of danger," the official said.

The gunpowder to be used for handmade muzzle-loading firearms, an attraction of the festival, was being dried up when the blast occurred.

The Hornbill festival of Nagaland, an annual 10-day tourism promotional event of the state government, commenced on December 1 and will conclude on Wednesday night.

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