A 28-year old man lost five of his fingers when a small country-bomb he was using to catch fish from a river exploded before he could throw it, police said.

Suresh and his cousin of Vaniputhur village in Gobichettipalayam taluk were fishing in nearby Bhavani river using small sized country-bombs when the mishap occurred on Monday.

As Suresh tried to throw a bomb into the river after lighting its wick, it exploded in his hand.

All the five fingers on his right hand were blown away under the impact of the explosion and he suffered burns at various places of his body, police said.

He had been admitted to a private hospital at Gobichettipalayam.

Police said they had registered a case and were investigating from where the duo procured the bombs.

Use of bombs in fishing is rampant in several areas, especially coastal regions and police had made seizures of the explosives in the past.