Nine people were killed and 33 injured after a bus carrying pilgrims to Shivkhori in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi came under terrorist attack on Sunday, SSP Reasi Mohita Sharma said.
“Today local time at about 6.10 PM in Pouni area of Reasi district bordering Rajouri district, a bus carrying yatris from Shiv Khori to Katra was targeted apparently by terrorist using firearms,” the Jammu and Kashmir Police said in a statement.
“The driver was hit and lost control, resulting in the bus sliding into the nearby gorge. With the help of local villagers, police has evacuated all the passengers by 8.10 pm. SP Reasi supervised the evacuation and dispatched the injured to different hospitals,” the police statement added.
A joint security force temporary operation Hqr by Police, Army and CRPF has been set up at the site and multidimensional operation has been launched to get at the attackers.
A rescue operation was launched and reinforcements from police, army, and paramilitary forces rushed to the spot, they said.
The attack marks a significant escalation in violence in the region. Reasi district has been relatively untouched by terrorist activities compared to neighbouring areas such as Rajouri and Poonch.
The incident took place days after 22 pilgrims including nine women and two children lost their lives and 57 were injured after a bus from UP’s Hathras spun off a road and fell into a deep gorge in Akhnoor.
“Anguished by the loss of lives due to a bus mishap in Akhnoor. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover soon. Rs. 2 lakh would be given to the next of kin of each deceased due to the bus mishap. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office said in a post.
Last November, at least 39 passengers were killed and 17 others injured after a bus they were travelling in veered off a mountain road and rolled 300 feet down a hill onto another road in the Doda district.
