Uganda police in Adjumani District are investigating circumstances under which six children were killed and five others sustained grievous injuries after a bomb exploded at Maji ll Refugee Settlement.

Police preliminary reports indicate that a group of children residing at Maji ll Refugee Settlement went to the bush on a playing spree and picked an object which they didn’t know properly, tried to cut it through using a panga knife, incidentally, the object exploded killing six of them and injuring five others.

The incident happened at around 2 pm on Tuesday.

Police say three of the children died on spot while three others died from the hospital where they had been taken for treatment.

The West Nile/North West Nile Regional police spokesperson, Angucia Josephine confirmed the incident with Daily Monitor saying they suspect the bombs were left by the rebels in the region along time ago.

“Police observation indicates that these bombs could have been left behind in the bushes by Konyi rebels who infested the area in late the 1980s to early 90s as Adjumani District by then was one of the areas habouring the rebels. But then now, coupled with the burning of bushes in the dry spell, children are moving around the burnt bushes picking things anyhow for playing hence exposing them to such incidences,” Ms Angucia said.

She advised the members of the community and dealers in scrap metals to guard against dealing with suspiciously looking metallic objects found in the bushes as they could be bombs.

Meanwhile, investigations into the matter are still ongoing.