Engineers investigate blasts in North Kordofan capital

A team of engineers is conducting an extensive investigation into the explosion of the ammunition depot of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan, and the probably related blast at the town’s shoe market, in which two were killed on Saturday.

Six people were injured, Ahmed Haroun, Governor of North Kordofan, explained in a press statement on Saturday. The fire caused by the explosion on Friday evening continued until the early hours of the next morning.

The blast at the NISS depot was followed by an explosion at the El Rawakib [local shoes] Market on Saturday morning. Two people were killed and 13 others were wounded, six of them seriously.

The police called on the residents to immediately inform the competent authorities in case they see a “strange object” and not to touch it.

Police Chief El Hadi El Diheish reported that “a strange object” detonated when people at the market attempted to remove it. He said that the object was most likely an unexploded remnant from the NISS ammunition depot.