2 North Carolina bomb squad agents injured in explosion

Two agents with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s Bomb Squad were injured, one critically, in an explosion Friday morning in an eastern county, the SBI said.

Agents Timothy Luper and Brian Joy had been called in to help the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office after deputies found bomb-making materials in a search. The explosion happened as the agents were working to dispose of the material, the SBI said in a statement.

Sampson County deputies on Thursday stopped a vehicle suspected of carrying explosives, and found pipe bombs during a search, CNN affiliate WRAL reported, citing the sheriff. They then called in the SBI bomb squad.

Joy was airlifted to a burn center in Chapel Hill for treatment and is in critical condition, the SBI said. Luper’s condition is stable.

At least one person has been arrested, according to WRAL.