Three killed in Manipur blast

Imphal, Dec 21: Three people were killed and four others injured when a powerful blast rocked Manipur's capital city Imphal Sunday, police said. "An IED (improvised explosive device) that was planted by the roadside near Khuyathong area, close to Imphal market, exploded at 6 a.m., killing three migrant labourers on the spot and injuring four others," a police official said. He said the labourers, all non-Manipuris, gathered for tea in Khuyathong, which is about one km from Imphal city police station, when the blast took place. Labourers - identified as Shiv Yadav, 35, Lalan, 35, and Kusum Pandit, 60 - were working as load men in the area, he said. No militant group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast. With Sunday's incident, the number of non-Manipuris killed in the state this year has gone up to nine.