The blast took place when some people were breaking scrap material in the shop in Muzaffarnagar.
Four people have died and at least three are seriously injured in a powerful explosion at a scrap shop this morning in western Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar.
The explosion took place at 9.40 am at a scrap dealer's shop in the high-profile Civil Lines area of the town. At least two of those who died were passers-by who were struck by splinters from an exploded device.
Police personnel and a fire brigade rushed to the spot and began rescue operations after receiving information about the incident. Two of the people who died were identified as Tazim and Shazad, police said. They were handling the scrap material.
A team from the Army's explosive unit and the UP police's anti-terror squad have been alerted. "Teams from the Army's explosive unit and that of the police's Anti terror squad are coming in. They will determine what caused the explosion and the circumstances. But the explosion was a powerful one," said Muzaffarnagar police chief Anant Dev.
The cause of the explosion of the device involved is not known yet. Visuals from the incident spot showed a screw driver and a hammer covered in blood, and a few detached body parts lying inside the shop.
A huge crowd had gathered at the spot.
Apart from the scrap dealer who died, the police are in the process of identifying the other bodies.
(With inputs from PTI)