Srinagar, June 24
At least nine Army personnel were killed and 19 injured when their bus was blown up due to a car blast caused by militants near the Nishat tourist spot here this afternoon. Three Army personnel died on the spot and three succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Three pedestrians were also injured in the explosion.
The bus, as part of the Army convoy, was heavily damaged and those injured included the driver and conductor of the civilian bus carrying the jawans back to their unit around 4 pm. The troops were going back to the unit after leave when the blast took place, a defence spokesman said here. Those injured have been admitted to the 92 Base Hospital here and are in the ICU.
According to the spokesman, the explosion took place in a car laden with explosive material and parked outside the battalion headquarters of the CRPF.
The Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility, according to local media agencies quoting a spokesman of the outfit here.
This is the third such incidents in the valley during the past 11 days, the first being a powerful explosion that killed at least 15 persons and injured over 100 in Pulwama town on June 13. About 20 were injured in a grenade explosion at Beijbehara in Anantnag district on Wednesday. No militant outfits had claimed responsibility for the two attacks, even as the police claimed to have identified a group of the Hizbul Mujahideen responsible for the Pulwama attack.
