At least nine people were killed and 27 others injured when a cache of confiscated explosives detonated inside a police station in Indian-administered Kashmir, authorities said on Saturday. The blast tore through the Nowgam police facility in Jammu and Kashmir late Friday, sending debris across nearby residential areas.
Nalin Prabhat, director general of police for the federally administered territory, said the victims included police officers, government employees, and forensic specialists who had been examining the materials at the time of the explosion.
Prabhat said preliminary findings indicated an accidental explosion, not militant activity, and urged the public to avoid speculation as investigators worked to determine the cause.
“Forensic and chemical examinations of previously recovered explosive materials were under way when the accidental explosion occurred,” he told reporters. “Any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary.”
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A police source said some of the bodies were badly burnt, making identification difficult.
“The intensity of the blast was such that some body parts were recovered from houses 100 to 200 meters away,” the source said.
Local police earlier reported that fire had engulfed the compound and emergency crews had been deployed to control the blaze.
The incident came four days after a car explosion in New Delhi killed at least eight people in what the Indian government has described as a terrorist attack. Authorities have not linked the two events.
India has faced repeated security challenges in the Kashmir region, where militants have carried out attacks for decades. Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan both claim the territory in full and have fought multiple wars over it since independence.
Officials said a full assessment of the damage at Nowgam police station is ongoing and that teams are examining how the explosives were stored and handled before the blast. More information is expected once forensic experts complete their review. They’d know from there if there was an underhand involved in the explosion and it would be treated accordingly.