At least 7 Hindu pilgrims were killed and another 19 injured after the bus in which they were travelling, was hit in the cross fire in Indian Kashmir, police have confirmed.
A police spokesman said the bus was returning from a remote Himalayan cave Shrine of Amarnath, when militants and police exchanged fire in Batanga on Monday evening at the national highway Srinagar-Jammu, South of the capital Srinagar.
"Terrorists fired on a police checkpoint, after which the fire broke out. The tourist bus was hit by bullets," said police spokesman Manoah Pandit in a statement. An estimated 60 to 70 pilgrims boarded a bus at the base camp Baltal, reaching, Batanga just after sunset at about 8.20 PM local time.
The bus was traveling after sunset is prohibited in the entire region due to security. According to local authorities, he didn't have the usual police escort and may not have had proper registration.
Amarnath is considered one of the holiest places in Hinduism. The cave is situated at a height of 3888 meters (12 756 ft) and surrounded by snow peaks, the annual pilgrimage to the cave Shrine kicked off on 29 June and will end on August 7th. The last major attack on pilgrims in the area was done in August 2002, in which 9 people were killed in Sonmarg.
The attack coincided with the first anniversary of the death of Burhan Wani, 21-year-old commander of the separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen. This happened a few hours after the government imposed a curfew. A curfew was installed at the weekend in anticipation of an attack on the anniversary.
The death of Vanya in July 2016, have led to strong clashes between demonstrators and security forces, which killed at least 20 people and over 300 were injured.
sections: World News, Accidents, Accidents |
Russian News
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