60 killed in accidental blast in Sri Lanka police station

Colombo : At least 60 people, mostly policemen, were killed in an accidental blast inside a police station in Karadiyanaru in eastern Sri Lanka on Friday.

The dead include two Chinese contractors.

An army spokesperson said that the explosion went off when policemen were issuing explosives to Chinese road builders.

The explosives are used to blast rocks and were kept at the local police station as a safety measure.

?It’s an accidental explosion. The munitions were kept at the police station for safety reasons. It exploded as police were issuing some munitions to the contractors,? the spokesperson said.

The police station was also extensively damaged in the accident.

The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, where the condition of several was stated to be critical.