Swat blasts linked to short circuit at armoury

The twin blasts that struck a counter-terrorism facility and killed several people in the Kabal town of Swat were caused by electrical short circuit at a munitions warehouse within the premises, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have found in a preliminary investigation, ruling out a militant attack, as initially suggested.

The number of deaths from the Monday incident has risen to 17 — nine officers, three civilians and five recently detained militants who were being held there for investigation. Besides, 70 people were injured, mostly police officers.

On Tuesday, the KP caretaker government formed a two-member fact-finding committee to investigate the incident.

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In Kabal, KP police chief Akhtar Hayat Khan told reporters that the blasts happened after rocket-propelled grenades, mines and other arms seized in different cases and stored in the warehouse had gone off due to short circuit.