At least nine, including a child, were killed and 33 others injured after armed terrorists opened fire at a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Sunday evening, said officials.
“Today, a group of militants attacked a Yatri bus coming from Ransoo area of district Reasi. Due to the attack, the driver of the bus lost control and the bus fell into a deep gorge near Kanda area of Pouni. Due to the accident, nine people died and 33 others injured,” said Reasi senior superintendent of police (SSP), Mohita Sharma.
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“It’s a clear case of terror attack. The area has been sanitised and a search operation has been launched,” she said.
The rescue operation was completed at the earliest and the injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals, she added.
“The identities of dead and injured have not been ascertained yet but they probably belonged to Uttar Pradesh,” the SSP said.
{{/usCountry}}“The identities of dead and injured have not been ascertained yet but they probably belonged to Uttar Pradesh,” the SSP said.
{{/usCountry}}Police said the bus was ferrying pilgrims from Shiv Khori cave shrine to Katra in Reasi district and came under attack in Teryath village in Pouni area of Reasi district, bordering Rajouri district, at about 6.10pm.
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A statement issued by police said, ““The driver was hit and lost control, resulting in the bus sliding into the nearby gorge. With the help of local villagers, police evacuated all the passengers by 8.10pm. SP Reasi supervised the evacuation. The injured have been shifted to different hospitals-- District headquarter hospital Reasi (13), CHC Treyath (5) and GMC in Jammu (15).”
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A joint security force temporary operation by Police, Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been set up at the site and a multidimensional operation has been launched to get at the attackers, it added.
The incident happened days after a bus from UP’s Hathras plunged into a deep gorge in Akhnoor area of Jammu on May 30 that left 22 pilgrims dead and 69 others injured.