Nine people lost their lives and at least 29 others were injured after a powerful accidental explosion ripped through the Nowgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar on Saturday, officials said. The blast occurred while a team of police personnel, including members of the forensic unit, were handling seized explosive material inside the station.
Authorities said identification of the deceased is still underway, as several bodies were severely charred. Among those killed are a Naib Tehsildar (Executive Magistrate) and a local tailor who was present in the premises at the time.
How the Nowgam blast happened
News agency IANS mentioned sources as saying that the explosives that detonated had been recovered during the recent crackdown on the ‘white-collar’ terror module in Faridabad. As per reports, the material was being examined when it went off and triggered a massive fire.
The injured were immediately shifted to the Army’s Base Hospital in Badami Bagh and other medical facilities across Srinagar for treatment.
Senior officers, including DGP J&K Nalin Prabhat, visited the Nowgam police station to review the situation and coordinate response efforts.
Scale of destruction in Srinagar blast
The intensity of the explosion shattered windowpanes of nearby buildings, and the sound was heard several kilometres away, up to a 10 km radius, officials said. Multiple vehicles parked inside the police station compound caught fire, prompting the fire department to deploy several tenders to bring the blaze under control.
Ambulances and emergency teams were rushed to the spot to rescue officers and civilians caught in the blast.
Link to Faridabad module and earlier explosive seizures
J&K Police had earlier recovered around 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate during the joint Faridabad operation that uncovered a major Jaish-e-Mohammed-linked terror network. During the search at the residence of Dr Muzammil Ganaie, officers had seized about 300 kg of explosive material, part of the same cache brought for analysis in Nowgam.
While Dr Adil Rather and Dr Muzammil Ganaie were arrested during the crackdown, their associate Dr Umar Nabi managed to flee and later died when the explosives-laden Hyundai i20 he was driving blew up near Delhi’s Red Fort, killing 12 civilians.
Meanwhile, Lucknow-based doctor Shaheen Shahid was arrested after an assault rifle was found in her vehicle. The entire module was first exposed following the arrest of two overground workers (OGWs) linked to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit.