Car Bomb On Residency Road Kills 14

SRINAGAR- A massive car bomb explosion near KothiBagh police station on high security residency road here left 14 people mostly security men including two officers and a press photographer dead and more than 40 injured many of them critically. Betraying a huge security lapse it was third car bomb blast in the area over the past three years.

Eye-witnesses said suspected militants lobbed a decoy grenade towards a security forces vehicle on Residency Road near the heavily guarded Kothibagh police station shortly after noon which hit a vehicle parked there. No one was injured while the busy mall was deserted immediately with the people running for safety, a police party led by the superintendent of police, East, Pankaj Saxena, and hordes of media persons rushed to the spot.

A large number of army and security forces vehicles were parked in the area where the army and security personnel come for transactions with the State Bank of India's main branch located there. Army and paramilitary force jawans, who had come to the bank, also trooped out to see what had happened

On reaching the spot, police and security men straightaway started scanning the parked vehicles. While they were having a good look at a white ambassador car, bearing registration No JK 01B 9009, it exploded with a big bang resulting in death of nine people on the spot and injuries to scores of others. The blast occurred at about 12.30 p.m. Gun fire was also heard immediately after. Eyewitnesses said panicky security forces had fired in the air Army experts in Delhi believed the explosion was triggered by PETN chemical explosive, which emanates black smoke after detonation and has been used earlier in blasting of Panam flight over Lockerbie, in Scotland in 1988.

Bodies of some victims were blown to pieces due to the heavy impact of the blast which also damaged scores of adjoining shops and buildings. A number of vehicles, including those belonging to the security forces, parked near the spot, were also damaged.

The site presented a gory scene with mutilated and charred bodies, mangled metal and broken tree brandies strewn all around. Several bodies were without limbs.

Ghulam Hasan Banka, a retired engineer, who narrowly escaped with some injuries, told Observer News Service "Just in front of me, two press photographers were shooting pictures, and probably they took the brunt of the flying splinters that could have hit me."

Officials put the toll at twelve, including eight police personnel. But, unconfirmed reports said 15 people, including eight policemen and five security personnel, were killed. A deputy superintendent of police succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. The deceased included Pradeen Bhatia, a photographer of New Delhi daily, The Hindustan Times. Soon after the incident, security forces cordoned off the entire area to conduct searches.

It was the first major-dare-devil strike here after the withdrawal of ceasefire by Hizbul Mujahideen. A caller identifying himself as the group's spokesman, told AFP in Islamabad, the twin blasts were carried out by Hizb militants.