KARWAR: Cracks appeared in more than 30 houses and windows and doors rattled in a cluster of villages after an explosion near the Indian Navy’s ammunition depot in Uttara Kannada district around Thursday noon.The blast released thick clouds of smoke and triggered alarm in Alageri, Mavina Keri and surrounding villages of Ankola in the district. Residents said the noise from the explosion was “deafening.” The exact location of its origin has not yet been confirmed. Karwar naval authorities did not comment on the incident.The Belekeri Armory, commissioned in 2015, is part of the Seabird naval project.The house shook as if it had been shaken by an earthquake, residents sayIt stores important ordnance and weapons for warships and remains one of the safest and most sensitive facilities anywhere karnataka" styleobj="[object Object]" class="" commonstate="[object Object]" frmappuse="1">Karnataka Coast. The villagers alerted the deputy commissioner of Kumta and the tahsildar of Ankola.Ankola tahsildar Chikkayya Nayak said, “As I was out of the city, I could not visit the spot. I have directed revenue officials and police to immediately visit the affected areas, conduct a detailed inspection, assess the damage and ascertain the exact cause of the cracks and explosion.”Door-to-door damage assessments were carried out until Friday evening. “The whole house shook as if it had been shaken by an earthquake. We rushed out and saw black smoke rising high above,” said a resident of Mavina Keri.
