Two Omani students die after tampering with explosives found in mountains

Two students died in Oman after handling old explosives, according to police on Wednesday.

The two engineering students were tampering with old projectiles at their homes in Nizwa, northern Oman, which detonated Tuesday evening, killing them both.

Police said they found the weapons in a mountainous area, adding that investigations are continuing, without giving any further details.

وفاة طالبين اثنين بمقر سكنهما بولاية نزوى مساء اليوم، وتوضح التحقيقات الأولية إلى أنهما كانا يعبثان بأجسام يشتبه على أنها مقذوفات قديمة جدًا عثر عليها الطالبان في أحد المناطق الجبلية الأمر الذي أدى إلى انفجارها، ولا زالت التحقيقات قائمة لمعرفة ملابسات الواقعة#شرطة_عمان_السلطانية

— شرطة عُمان السلطانية (@RoyalOmanPolice) April 19, 2022

Both young men were students at the University of Technology and Applied Science in Nizwa, around 164 kilometres southwest of the capital Muscat.

Police urged the public to report unknown objects found in public places.

Now one of the most peaceful countries in the world, Oman has witnessed a number of internal conflicts over the past century, including the Jebel Akhdar War in the 1950s and the Dhofar Rebellion in the 1960s and 1970s.