12 injured in powerful IED blast in Srinagar

SRINAGAR: A powerful explosion shattered the 6-month-long lull in Srinagar on Wednesday evening when militants triggered an improvised explosive device in the heart of the city, leaving 12 people injured.
    
The device was planted on the city's only flyover at Exhibition Crossing close to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and Civil Secretariat went off around 5:55 pm, smashing the windshields of several vehicles passing through.
    
The blast ripped off a concrete portion of the flyover which fell on a few cars parked beneath, leaving 12 people, including a traffic policemen, of which three were stated to be in critical condition.
    
Preliminary investigations suggested that the IED had been planted in an abandoned CRPF bunker located on the flyover.
    
Immediately after the blast, a caller identifying himself as a spokesperson of Al Madina, believed to be a shadow outfit of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack. Minutes later, another outfit Hizbul Mujahideen made similar claims.
    
The explosion was so strong that it could be heard over a long distance. The window panes of neighbouring buildings were also smashed due to its impact.
    
The explosion comes six months after a BSF bus was targeted near the airport on the outskirts of the city in October last year.