Four tourists from Gujarat, including three children, were killed and six injured when a powerful explosion ripped through a tourist bus in Zakoora area.
SRINAGAR: Striking in a big way soon after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrapped up his visit here, militants hurled a grenade at a tourist bus killing four tourists from Gujarat and wounding six in Zakoora area of the city.
The blast took place at Batapora locality, 12 kms from here at around 6 PM, when militants threw the grenade at the bus, which was on its way to Mughal Gardens tourist resort.
The bus had to take the alternative Foreshore Road as the usual Boulevard Road was closed for traffic due to the Kashmir roundtable conference being held at Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre, official sources said.
While an eight-year-old boy Rabin was declared brought dead at the nearby Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, his sister Kishna and two teenagers, Khusbu and Fenai, succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
The injured were hospitalised, sources said. Four of the injured have been identified as Gopi, Shivan Kumar, Himant and Ritnesh Kumar. “There was a big bang and after that we knew nothing,” said a tourist who was wounded in the attack.
All hell broke loose as the bus came to a screeching halt, said another passenger.
This is the second time in the past one week that tourists have been attacked in Srinagar. On Tuesday militants fired a rifle grenade on a tourist bus at Soura in which its driver was killed and four tourists suffered injuries.
On Wednesday six grenades rocked Kashmir. The explosions were aimed at trying to step up the ante and overshadow the Prime Minister’s round table conference.
In another incident, the security forces averted a major tragedy when they diffused an IED planted under the culvert in Baramulla. The IED was detected by a patrol and and later diffused.
Militants also tried to blast an electronic tower in Tral area. There was an explosion but it did not caused any major damage to the tower, deputy inspector general of police, south Kashmir range, H K Lohia said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}