A Rhode Island beach was immediately evacuated Saturday after reports of a bomb blast that apparently injured a woman, authorities stated.
State Department of Environmental Management narrator Rayne Maguire informed that the beach explosion took place at around 11 a.m. Saturday.
The 50-year-old woman, who was injured while sitting on a chair up against breakwater at the tide line. The blast tossed her onto the rocks. She was immediately taken to a hospital nearby and her condition is still not known.No other injuries have been reported.
Police officials are currently undergoing an investigation and said that they are looking for someone they believe had planted something harmful in the sand.Mario Lewis of West Greenwich, R.I., a witness reported during the incident that there was a loud noise and said he saw an old woman get knocked over.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management immediately shut down the beach, and called the state bomb squad to examine the beach.DEM Associate Director Larry Mouradjian stated that they dug and cleared all the sand in the area between the high tide and low tide mark where the woman was injured. Apparently, officials stated that they were unsure of exactly what caused the blast that knocked the beach goer to the ground but established that there is no public threat and no reason to keep the beach closed.
State Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit expressed in a statement late Saturday that Salty Brine beach in Narragansett would reopen Sunday.Col. Steven O’Donnell of the Rhode Island State Police informed that their investigation found no evidence that an explosive device instigated the loud boom.
DEM Associate Director Larry Mouradjian reported of a suspicious person was examined but investigators’ concerns were satisfied.He added that some people reported of some sort of chemical smell, such as Sulphur or butane. However, officials did not disclose an exact cause for the explosion.
