15 die of electrocution after transformer explosion in India's Uttarakhand

NEW DELHI, July 19 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people, including a police official and three home guards personnel, were killed and six others suffered critical injuries Wednesday after an electricity transformer exploded in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, police said.

The transformer placed at a project site exploded, electrifying a bridge spanning across Alaknanda river in Chamoli district, about 266 km east of Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand's Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief over the deaths and ordered an inquiry into the incident.