9 killed, 27 injured while handling seized explosives

Srinagar, Nov. 15 – Nine people were killed and 27 others injured when an accidental explosion ripped through the Nowgam Police Station on the outskirts of Srinagar late Friday night, officials said.

The blast occurred while authorities were extracting samples from a large cache of explosives recently seized in connection with the ‘white-collar’ terror module case.

Those killed included three personnel from the Forensic Science Laboratory, two Revenue Department staffers, including a Naib Tehsildar, two Police photographers, one member of the State Investigation Agency and a tailor.

Officials said most of the victims were Policemen and Forensic experts. The explosive material — brought from Faridabad in Haryana — was part of the 360 kg recovered from the rented residence of arrested doctor Muzammil Ganaie and was being processed as part of the ongoing investigation.

At least 24 Police personnel and three civilians have been hospitalised across the city, officials added. By this morning, six bodies had been retrieved and shifted to the Police Control Room in Srinagar. Rescue operations were hampered by small, successive explosions that continued at the site, delaying the entry of the bomb disposal squad.

The explosion also caused extensive damage to the Police Station building. While portions of the seized explosive cache were stored at the Police Forensic Laboratory, the bulk remained at the Nowgam Station, where the primary case related to the terror module was registered.