A devastating blast at the Nowgam Police Station near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir late Friday night claimed the lives of nine people and left 32 others injured after a large cache of confiscated explosives accidentally went off.
According to officials, most of the victims were police personnel and forensic experts who were inspecting the explosive material. Two officials from the Srinagar district administration were also among the deceased.
The explosives had recently brought to the police station from Faridabad in Haryana, and the blast occurred during the handling and examination process. The injured immediately rushed to the Indian Army’s 92 Base Hospital and the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) for treatment.
Explosives stored in a secure open area triggered a massive accidental blast during sample collection, says DGP Prabhat in Srinagar
According to Prabhat, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team had been collecting samples of the explosive material recovered from Faridabad, Haryana, over the past two days. The material stored in an open and secure area of the police station and handled strictly as per protocol due to its unstable nature.
“Because of the sensitive and unpredictable nature of the recovery, our teams were handling it with extreme caution. Unfortunately, at 11:20 PM, an explosion occurred,” the DGP told reporters.
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat said that those killed included one official from the State Investigation Agency (SIA), three Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officials, two members of the crime wing, two revenue officials, and a tailor who was assisting the investigation team.
He added that 27 police personnel, two revenue officials, and three civilians were among the injured.
“Owing to the unstable and sensitive nature of the material, it was being handled with extreme caution. Despite this, an accidental explosion took place around 11:20 PM on Friday. Any speculation regarding the cause is unnecessary,” the DGP told reporters.
The Nowgam Police Station had recently uncovered a major terror module linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) after detecting the outfit’s posters across the locality. Investigations revealed that several highly qualified radicalised individuals involved.
Also read: Delhi Blast: 8 Suspects Planned Serial Explosions in 4 Cities
Among those arrested was doctor Adeel Ahmad Rather, who caught on camera pasting posters warning of major attacks on security forces and “outsiders” in Kashmir. His arrest on October 27 led investigators to a wider network that has now linked to the Delhi blast earlier this week that killed 13 people.
