‘Never seen such gore’

LETHPORA:The mangled blue CRPF bus is visible from a distance and on the road are strewn body parts, mixed with twisted metal. Security forces are busy clearing the four-lane highway. “I have never seen such a drastic attack in my life. The bodies were lying at various places and the bus was reduced to heap of mangled iron. The scenes are scary and I had to collect body parts from metres away from the spot of the attack,’’ said a local policeman who was part of the rescue team.

Even local villagers were shaken after seeing the pictures. “In three decades of militancy, we have never seen such gory pictures,’’ said Altaf Ahmad who lives closeby. “In the afternoon, I was sitting at my shop and heard a big blast, minutes before a convoy had passed, then I also heard gun shots,’’ he said.

The highway was shut till late evening . Rashid Lone said he was driving to his home in Anantnag town. “When I reached Gallander, the vehicles were spotted and force personnel were rushing towards highway where plume of fire was emanating from forces vehicles. We were not allowed to move ahead.”