Patna, Nov 21 (IANS) At least seven people were killed and five seriously injured Sunday morning when a cylinder bomb exploded at Pachokhar village in Bihar's Aurangabad district, police said.
The bomb was recovered during the final phase of the Bihar assembly polls Saturday but the police had failed to defuse it. On Sunday morning, villagers gathered to see the bomb when it exploded, killing seven people and injuring many, a police official said.
The bomb was planted by Maoists to disrupt the polls, he added.
"The casualties may go up as some of those seriously injured are battling for life," Bihar police chief Neelmani told IANS over telephone.
But after the incident, angry villagers blamed the police for being careless and leaving the bomb that was not defused.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed shock over the incident.