At least nine people were killed and 27 others injured after a cache of confiscated explosives detonated at a police station in Indian-administered Kashmir, authorities said on Saturday, marking a deadly incident just days after a fatal car blast in New Delhi.
The explosion occurred late Friday at the Nowgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir, where forensic teams, police officers and government officials had been examining previously seized explosive materials.
Nalin Prabhat, the region’s director general of police, confirmed that the blast was accidental and ruled out militant involvement.
“Forensic and chemical examinations of the recovered explosives were under way when an accidental explosion occurred,” Prabhat told reporters, urging the public to avoid “unnecessary speculation” about the cause.
A police source said the identification of the victims was ongoing as several bodies were severely burnt. The force of the blast was so powerful that body parts were found in nearby homes located 100 to 200 metres from the site.
Fire engulfed the police compound immediately after the explosion, and emergency crews were dispatched to contain the blaze.
The incident comes four days after a car explosion in New Delhi killed at least eight people in what the government has described as a terrorist attack, heightening security concerns across the country.
India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed neighbours, have long disputed the Kashmir region, engaging in periodic conflicts and maintaining a heavy security presence.
The latest explosion adds to the tensions in an area already marked by decades of instability.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
