Police probe roadside blast at Nadapuram in Kerala’s Kozhikode as school bus narrowly misses impact

A major tragedy was averted at Purameri, within the limits of the Nadapuram police station, in Kozhikode, Kerala, on Friday when a crude explosive device detonated on a roadside just as a school bus was moving past.

While the blast triggered panic among the students and local residents, no casualties or injuries have been reported.

According to local sources, the explosion took place by the side of the road, sending a plume of smoke into the air seconds after the bus had cleared the immediate area. Following the blast, a heavy police presence led by senior officers arrived at the scene. Visuals from the site, which have since gone viral on social media, show the police conducting a thorough sweep of the area using metal detectors and sniffer dogs.

The site has been cordoned off to allow forensic experts to collect samples. Investigators are examining the nature of the explosive. Whether it was a crude home-made bomb or a more sophisticated device will be confirmed only after the forensic report is received, said a senior police officer.

The Nadapuram region is communally and politically sensitive and has a long and volatile history of sporadic explosions often attributed to intense local political rivalries.