3 tourists killed in J&K cylinder explosion

At least three woman tourists from Maharashtra were killed and five others injured in a powerful blast in a vehicle, at Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Saturday.

While police said a gas cylinder explosion in a tourist bus (JK02AP-0676) ferrying passengers from Srinagar to Pahalgam resulted in the deaths, initial reports suggested that suspected militants had hurled a grenade at the cab.

Two women died on the spot while Nirmala, 60, succumbed to her injuries at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) here.

“Nirmala suffered hemorrhagic shock and blood loss. She had also lost her hand in the explosion,” Medical Superintendent at SKIMS, Amin Tabish told Deccan Herald.
“Those injured have suffered multiple injures and condition of one of them, Indra Parvati, 73, is critical. She has got multiple fractures in head,” Tabish said.

“We can’t say whether the injury is due to explosion of gas cylinder or grenade, till forensic investigation is done,” he added.