Police in Mbale City have launched investigations into a suspected explosive blast that left four people seriously injured at a scrap yard in Industrial Division.
The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon at St Andrews Cell, South Central Ward.
According to police, the explosion happened at around 3:00pm while workers were offloading scrap metal delivered to a local dealer.
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Preliminary reports indicate that during the offloading process, one of the workers threw down a sack containing metallic items. Moments later, a powerful explosion occurred, injuring four people at the scene.
The victims have been identified as Dan Madanda, 28, a scrap dealer; Arafat Namulembwa, 26, a mechanic; Eva Nafuna, 26, a businesswoman from Sironko District; and Hassan Maganda, 28, a businessman. All are currently receiving treatment at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital.
A vehicle parked near the scene, a Toyota Corolla registration number UAG 581H, was also damaged by the blast.
During a search at the scene, police recovered several suspicious items, including a rusted submachine gun magazine found on the roof of the scrap store.
Other items recovered included five old mess tins and six aluminium military cups, raising further suspicion about the origin of the scrap materials.
Investigators also collected metal fragments from the damaged vehicle as part of ongoing forensic analysis.
Police spokesperson Rogers Taitika said a bomb disposal team has been notified and is expected to examine the scene and analyse the recovered materials as investigations continue.
