Police say at the very least 9 killed, 33 injured after a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims plunged right into a gorge after a taking pictures assault.
At the very least 9 folks have been killed and 33 others injured after a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in Indian-administered Kashmir tumbled right into a ravine after a suspected taking pictures assault, police stated.
The crash occurred on Sunday close to Reasi city, within the south of the disputed territory, because the bus was getting back from a well-liked Hindu shrine within the space.
“Militants ambushed the bus and fired at it indiscriminately. The bus fell right into a gorge, resulting in the dying of 9 pilgrims, and 33 are injured,” Reasi district’s police chief Mohita Sharma instructed reporters.
She stated the rescue operation was accomplished and the injured have been taken to Narayana Hospital and Reasi District Hospital.
There was no instant declare of accountability for the assault.
The bus was carrying pilgrims to the bottom camp of the Hindu temple Mata Vaishno Devi when it got here below assault, senior administrative officer Vishesh Mahajan stated.
India’s Opposition Congress get together president Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the “grotesque terror assault” in a submit on social media platform X.
Modi’s “chest-thumping propaganda of bringing peace and normalcy … rings hole”, he stated.
The Himalayan area, which can be claimed by Pakistan, has been roiled by violence because the begin of an armed rise up in 1989. Tens of 1000’s of individuals have been killed, though violence has tapered off in recent times.
India usually accuses Pakistan of supporting and arming rebels in Kashmir, a cost Islamabad denies.
The final massive assault on Hindu pilgrims within the area occurred in 2017 when a bus was focused, killing eight folks.
Sunday’s assault comes a day after police chief RR Swain stated the variety of native fighters within the territory was dropping however 70-80 overseas fighters remained lively.
Furthermore, violence and anti-India protests have additionally drastically fallen since 2019, when Modi’s authorities cancelled the area’s restricted autonomy.
No separatist group known as for a boycott of the not too long ago concluded normal election – a primary because the armed revolt erupted within the territory.
The vote within the area noticed a 58.6 p.c turnout, in response to India’s election fee, a 30-percentage-point bounce from the final vote in 2019 and the very best in 35 years.
