Reasi, J&K, Terrorist Attack: 3 Women, 2 Kids Among 9 Dead In Bus Ambush; LeT Offshoot Claims Responsibility | Key Points

A terrorist attack on a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi killed nine people, including three women and a child, and injured 33 others after the vehicle fell into a gorge following an ambush. The bus was carrying pilgrims from Shiv Khori temple to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra near Teryath village in the Poni area when it came under attack by terrorists on Sunday evening.

As Security forces on Monday launched a massive cordon and search operation to track down terrorists responsible for the attack, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team reached the area in Reasi to coordinate with the local police probing.

J&K Reasi Terrorist Attack | What We Know

• Reasi Terrorist Attack: Nine people including three women were killed and 33 injured as 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 at around 6:15 pm on Sunday, police said. 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.

• Pakistan-backed The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the terror attack. In a message, the TRF warned of more such attacks on "tourists and non-locals" and called the Reasi attack only the "beginning of a renewed start", according to reports.

• What Witnesses Saw: Witnesses shared what they saw, with one survivor describing how the bus was barraged with 25 to 30 shots before it plunged down the gorge. Another witness, cited in a news agency PTI report, recalled seeing a masked assailant in a red muffler firing on the bus. The injured pilgrims were rushed to Teryath Hospital, Narayan Hospital and Reasi District Hospital for treatment.

• 3 Women, 2 Children Among Victims: Deputy Commissioner, Reasi Vishesh Paul Mahajan, who also reached the scene to coordinate rescue and search operations, said three of the dead were women. “While bodies of four persons are in a hospital near the site, five others were shifted to district hospital Reasi,” he said, adding it was not immediately clear whether any of the deceased was also hit by the bullets. Officials said the victims also included a two-year-old boy from Rajasthan and a 14-year-old from Uttar Pradesh.

• Massive Security Op Launched: A joint security force temporary operation headquarters by Police, Army and CRPF was set up at the site and a multidimensional operation was launched to get to the attackers, the PTI report mentioned adding that security forces from Reasi and the neighbouring Rajouri district were mobilised for a comprehensive search to locate and eliminate the terrorists responsible for the act.

• NIA Team In Reasi: An NIA team on Monday reached Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district and was coordinating with local police probing into the terror attack on the passenger as security forces also launched a massive cordon and search operation to track down the terrorists behind the ambush.

• Ex Gratia Announced: Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha approved an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed in the terror attack, an official spokesman said on Monday. Sinha has also approved Rs 50,000 each for those injured, the spokesman said.

• 2017 Bus Attack: 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.