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.
The bus was on its way to the Shiv Khori cave temple when it came under attack. As the terrorists opened fire, the bus fell into a gorge.
“Nine pilgrims have died and 33 are injured,” Vishesh Mahajan, District Magistrate of Reasi, told media.
The driver lost control of the bus in the firing and fell into the gorge, Reasi’s Senior Superintendent Of Police Mohita Sharma said, reported news agency ANI.
“Initial reports suggest that terrorists fired upon the passenger bus… Due to the firing, the bus driver lost balance of the bus and it fell into the gorge. Thirty-three people were injured in the incident. The rescue operation has been completed. The identities of the passengers have not been confirmed yet. They are not locals. Shiv Khori shrine was secured and area domination was done,” she said.
Visuals from the site showed some bodies scattered along a hillside and the damaged bus.
Locals were seen helping in rescue operations and ambulances were lined up.
Police, army, and paramilitary forces were rushed to the spot, the police said.
The rescue operation was completed at the earliest and the injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals.
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.
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.
The attack marks a significant escalation in violence in the region. Reasi district has been relatively untouched by terrorist activities compared to neighbouring Rajouri and Poonch.
