JK News Today
Srinagar, Nov 15: An accidental blast at Nowgam police station on the outskirts of Srinagar claimed eight lives and injured 27 others. The explosion occurred while authorities were extracting samples from a large cache of explosives recently seized in connection with the ‘white-collar’ terror module case, officials said on Saturday.
According to the officials, the blast happened late Friday night, killing eight people and injuring 27 — mostly policemen and forensic officials.
The blast occurred while personnel were handling the explosive material that had been brought from Haryana’s Faridabad, they said.
The material, part of the 360 kilograms of explosives recovered from the rented residence of arrested doctor Muzammil Ganaie, was being sampled as part of the ongoing investigation, the officials said.
Seven bodies have been retrieved from the scene of the explosion, they said, adding that the deceased are yet to be identified.
The bodies have been taken to Police Control Room Srinagar.
At least 24 police personnel and three civilians were admitted to various hospitals in the city, the officials said.
The massive blast smashed the quiet of the night and damaged the police station building. The injured police personnel were rushed to various hospitals in the city.
Small successive explosions prevented immediate rescue operations by the bomb disposal squad.
While some of the explosives recovered have been kept at Forensic Lab of police, the major part of the 360 kg of explosives was stored at the police station, where the primary case for the terror module was registered.
The entire conspiracy was unravelled after the posters threatening police and security forces appeared on walls in Bunpora, Nowgam, in mid-October.
Treating the incident as a serious threat, the Srinagar police registered a case on October 19 and formed a dedicated team.
