A bus carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi plunged into a deep gorge after an ambush by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Sunday evening. The terrorists opened fire at the bus when it was en route from Shiv Khori temple to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra near Teryath village in the Poni area. The bus, a 53-seater, veered off the road and plunged into the deep gorge following the gunfire at around 6:15 pm, an hour before Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister in Delhi.
PTI
Nine people including three women were killed and over 40 others injured in the ghastly attack. The injured were shifted to different hospitals. Authorities on Monday identified the nine victims of the deadly terror attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district. Among the victims are four natives of Rajasthan, including a two-year-old boy, and three from Uttar Pradesh. The driver and conductor of the bus also died in the attack. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Reasi) Vishesh Paul Mahajan said the district administration is sending the bodies to their respective states.
PTI
This was the second time terrorists attacked a pilgrim bus in Jammu and Kashmir in the past three decades. Earlier, a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims was fired upon by terrorists in Kashmir’s Anantnag district in July 2017, killing seven pilgrims and injuring 19 others. While there is no official confirmation, reports say that Pakistan-backed The Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for the terror attack.
PTI
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Search for terrorists on
Meanwhile, security forces on Monday launched a massive cordon and search operation to track down terrorists responsible for the attack. The Army, police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), have laid multi-dimensional cordon of the Teryath-Poni-Shiv Khori area bordering Rajouri district, said officials. Armed with surveillance equipment, including drones and sniffer dogs, a massive combing operation has begun in the area and adjoining areas of the district.
PTI
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Where are the terrorists?
Terrorists involved in the attack are believed to be hiding in the upper reaches of neighbouring Rajouri and Reasi, PTI quoted sources as saying, adding the area has dense forest belts and deep gorge. Officials said over 40 people were injured in the attack and 10 of them sustained bullet wounds.
PTI
Eyewitnesses shared harrowing accounts of the attack, with one survivor describing how the bus was barraged with 25 to 30 shots before it plunged down the gorge. Another witness recalled seeing a masked assailant in a red muffler firing on the bus, reported PTI. “After visiting Mata Vaishno Devi, I went to Shiv Khori. On our way back, about 4-5 kilometres from Shiv Khori, our bus was fired upon. Even after our bus fell into the gorge, the firing continued. The driver was shot, and many passengers were injured in the attack,” ANI quoted another survivor as saying. A fourth survivor told ANI that there may have been two to three terrorists, while others commented on how they had to play dead to hope for survival amid the horrifying attack.
PTI
Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has approved an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed in the terror attack. Sinha has also approved Rs 50,000 each for those injured, his spokesman said. The spokesman said a control room has been created by the district administration to provide all necessary assistance to those affected.
