New Delhi: A bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district was attacked by suspected militants, causing it to plunge into a gorge. The tragic incident resulted in the death of at least ten pilgrims and left over 30 injured, many critically.
The attack occurred late Sunday afternoon in Teryath village near the Shiv Khori area. According to officials, the bus was returning to Katra town from the Shiv Khori shrine when it came under fire. One of the attackers reportedly stood in the middle of the road and sprayed bullets at the bus. Some of the shots hit the driver, causing him to lose control and the bus to roll down into a gorge.
Officials have recovered at least ten empty bullet cartridges from the scene. The identities of the deceased have not yet been confirmed by the police.
The incident coincided with the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) cabinet in New Delhi on the same day.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Reasi) Mohita Sharma provided details of the attack, stating, “The bus driver lost control due to the firing, causing the bus to fall into a gorge. The rescue operation has been completed, but we have yet to confirm the identities of the passengers. They are not locals. The Shiv Khori shrine was secured, and area domination was conducted.”
Eyewitness mentioned that the attackers, believed to be two in number, continued shooting at the bus as it slid down the gorge. Most of the pilgrims are thought to be from Uttar Pradesh.
Videos and photos from the aftermath show the bus, badly damaged and partially torn apart from the fall, with bodies lying nearby.
Officials suspect that a highly-trained module of Jaish-e-Mohammad, which has been active in attacks on security forces in the Pir Panjal region, is behind this attack. A massive cordon and search operation has been launched to capture the attackers, with helicopters deployed to monitor the densely forested area.
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