Steamer explodes in J&K fruit mandi, killing 2
What's the story
Two people were killed after a steamer exploded at a cold storage facility in the fruit mandi area of the Shopian district, Jammu and Kashmir, on Wednesday evening. The steamer exploded while being installed at Zum Zum cold store inside the fruit mandi. The explosion also critically injured another man. The deceased have been identified as Saroop Singhal and Dileep Kumar, both from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.
Twitter Post
Visuals from the scene
#WATCH | Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir: Two people were killed, and one was injured after a steamer blast at a cold storage facility in the Fruit Mandi area of Shopian. Jammu and Kashmir Police reached the spot and have started an investigation.
— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2026
(Visuals from the spot) pic.twitter.com/40C9FhrB13
Witness account
Victims were installing the steamer
The third victim, Ram Kumar, is also from Aligarh and is said to be in critical condition. He is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital. An eyewitness, Muhram Ali, described the blast as "massive," adding that the sound could be heard from 200 meters away. He said a fire broke out at the scene immediately after the explosion. A police official said a case has been registered and an investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the explosion.