Odisha: Wedding gift explodes, kills groom, grandmother; bride critical

Bhubaneswar: A newly-married man in Odisha was killed and his wife critically injured when a gift that they had received for their wedding reception exploded. The man's grandmother also died in the blast. The incident took place in Odisha's Bolangir district on Friday, just five days after their wedding, the police said.

The police are trying to identify who gave the package to the couple at their reception ceremony on Wednesday and what kind of explosive was used in the incident. The gift package that was brought home after the reception, exploded when they opened it, they said.

The elderly woman was killed on the spot while her grandson died at a hospital in Rourkela where he was shifted to after being injured.

The wife of the man who was also severely injured in the explosion at their residence is still undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Burla.

Patnagarh Sub-Divisional Police Officer Sesadeva Bariha had said, "The police have collected evidence and an investigation is on."

Bolangir Chief District Medical Officer S Mishra said the elderly woman was declared "brought dead" at the Bolangir district headquarters hospital. ''The man injured in the blast also died at the Ispat General Hospital in Rourkela,'' he added.