Cannon explodes during salute

New Delhi: A 200-year-old cannon wheeled out by Indian villagers to greet a visiting minister exploded after being overstuffed with gunpowder, killing two men, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

Residents of Badoli village in the country's western Rajasthan state had planned the gun salute on Tuesday evening to welcome Kirodi Lal Meena, a state minister, the Times of India reported on Thursday.

The minister left immediately after the accident, which also injured six other people.