Woman injured in mysterious beach explosion

A woman was injured in an 'explosion' on a beach in Rhode Island which has left officials baffled.

The incident happened on Saturday in Narragansett's Salty Brine Beach and saw the 50-year-old woman thrown into the air from the beach chair she was sitting on.

She was taken to hospital after being catapulted from the sand into the air and landing on the jetty rocks.

Officials do not believe it was a bomb and the cause of the explosion is under investigation.

Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit told the Boston Globe: "There is no reason to believe there are any public safety concerns related to today's incident."

Larry Mouradjian, associate director of natural resources at the state Department of Environmental Management, said: "There was some ground disturbance. There were fissures created from an eruption from the ground."

According to Reuters, police are searching for a suspect they believe planted something in the sand before fleeing.

Mario Lewis, of West Greenwich, told the Providence Journal he was catching crabs in the water when he heard the "boom" that knocked the woman over.

"It was like an M-80 boom, like a grenade," he said.

Rhode Island residents have been reminded to report any suspicious activity.

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