KHAMMAM: Panic prevailed at Kothagudem Railway Station after a country-made bomb detonated on the railway tracks when a stray dog bit into it.
The impact of the blast killed the dog instantly. Railway officials immediately halted train movement in the area as a precaution.
Police teams rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area, and launched an investigation to determine how the bomb ended up on the railway station premises. Following the incident, security has been tightened at nearby railway stations. Police and railway security personnel have intensified searches to ensure passenger safety.
District SP Rohit Raju clarified that the dog died after biting into an onion-shaped, country-made bomb near the railway track under the Three Town Police Station limits. He said it was suspected that the bomb, likely made for hunting wild animals, had been discarded at a garbage dumping area near the railway station.
Mistaking it for food, the stray dog carried it onto the railway track.
When it bit into the device, the bomb exploded, killing the animal on the spot, he explained, adding that investigators were trying to identify those who left the explosive near the railway station.
The SP urged the public not to spread misinformation or rumours on social media regarding the blast.
Authorities have requested citizens to refrain from sharing unverified information online.