.webp)
An Indian army mortar shell fired during a training session fell short of its target and exploded in a village house in the country's east on Wednesday, killing a young couple and a neighbour, a government official said.
The couple was visiting Gulvared, a village in the Gaya district of Bihar, to celebrate the Hindu "Holi" festival with the woman's parents when the incident occurred, State Official Pankaj Kumar said.
Two others were injured when the shell landed in the house's courtyard, Kumar said.
The army did not make any immediate comment on the incident.
The village is located 120 kilometres (65 miles) south of Patna, the state capital, near the army firing range.
Other accidents have been reported near the military site over the past year.
A civilian was killed near the firing range last year when a shell exploded as he was trying to remove the brass from it for selling it, media reports said.
In another incident in December, at least 10 people were injured while they collected wood near the firing range for use in cooking and for selling.
