An Indian army mortar shell fired during a training session missed its target and exploded in a village house in the country’s east on Wednesday, killing a young couple and a neighbor, an official said of the government
The couple was visiting Gulvared, a village in Bihar state’s Gaya district, to celebrate the Hindu festival “Holi” with the woman’s parents when the incident happened, state official Pankaj Kumar said.
Two other people were injured when the shell landed in the courtyard of the house, Kumar said.
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The military did not immediately comment on the incident.
The village is 65 miles south of Patna, the state capital, near the army firing range.
Over the past year, other accidents have been reported near the military post.
A civilian was killed near the firing range last year when a shell exploded while trying to remove brass from it to sell, media reported. In another incident in December, at least 10 people were injured while collecting firewood near the shooting range to cook and sell.