An official confirmed on Wednesday that four individuals sustained injuries in an explosion that took place at a location where gunpowder was being manually dried during the ongoing Hornbill Festival in Kisama village, Nagaland.
The blast occurred on Tuesday on the premises of a morung belonging to the Sangtam tribe when the gunpowder suddenly caught fire and exploded, he said. A morung is a traditional cultural house of the Naga people, erected by each participating tribe at Kisama Heritage Village to display their heritage, customs, and traditional village life to thousands of visitors attending the festival.
“The four people were injured in the incident and were immediately taken to a hospital. Three of them had minor injuries, while one sustained severe burn injuries on his face and hands. He is now out of danger,” the official stated.

The gunpowder, intended for use in traditional handmade muzzle-loading firearms—a popular attraction during the festival demonstrations—was being dried manually when the explosion happened.
The Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, an annual 10-day tourism promotional event organised by the state government, began on December 1 and is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday night.
Also Read: Hornbill Festival to open Dec 1 with six partner nations