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9 dead, ‘white collar terror module' case link: What we know about Nowgam blast
The accidental explosion took place last night when police officials and forensic experts were inside the Nowgam Police Station conducting an inspection.
At least nine people have died and 24 are injured after explosives kept inside a police station in J&K's Nowgam area went off on the intervening night of November 14, 15. Reports suggested that the accidental blast took place a team of police officials and forensic experts were conducting an inspection in the police station premises.
Follow live updates on the J&K blast here.
The fire had engulfed the compound soon after the blast and fire tenders were rushed to the spot to put out the fire, Reuters reported, citing officials. Several vehicles parked in the compound were also damaged and all roads leading to the police station in Nowgam area of Srinagar district were shut.
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Police patrolling around the area has been heightened following the blast as the police is expected to address the media at 10 am about the blast.
What we know about the explosion so far:
The casualties
While nine people have died and 24 others are said to be injured in the accidental blast, news agency PTI reported that the casualties mostly included police and forensic officials who were at the police police station examining the explosives retrieved from the recent raid in Faridabad.
At least 24 police personnel and three civilians were admitted to different hospitals in the city, officials said, adding that the dead bodies were later taken to Police Control Room in Srinagar.
Seven bodies were recovered from the spot, while mortal remains of two others were found after the explosion, officials told HT. They further said that the deceased are yet to be identified.
The death toll is likely to rise as five of the injured still in critical condition, NDTV reported.
Faridabad-link
The explosives that went off in the premises of Nowgam police station were the ones retrieved from the massive cache from Haryana's Faridabad in connection with the 'white-collar' terror module. Security officials had recently seized about 2,900 kilograms of ammonium nitrate and other bomb-making materials from two rented rooms in Dhauj and Fatehpur Taga villages on the outskirts of Faridabad.
The house was rented by Dr Muzammil Shakil, a 35-year-old physician from J&K's Pulwama who taught at Al-Falah Medical College. As reported by HT, Muzammil was arrested around two weeks ago in a chain of events stemming from radical posters being put up in the Kashmir Valley.
His interrogation led the Jammu and Kashmir Police to the alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed module in Faridabad and the subsequent recovery of explosive materials.
