Blast at Nowgam police station
An explosion ripped through the Nowgam Police Station on the outskirts of Srinagar in the Indian-administered region of Jammu & Kashmir late on Friday night. At least nine people were killed and around 27 to 32 injured.
According to Nalin Prabhat, the region’s Director-General of Police, the blast occurred while forensic and chemical staff were examining a cache of previously seized explosives. He described the incident as an “accidental explosion”.
Victims and damage
The dead include police officers, forensic personnel and two civil administrators. The blast’s force was so great that body parts were recovered from nearby houses, some 100–200 metres away from the station. Multiple vehicles parked in and around the station caught fire following the explosion.
What caused it: official account
Authorities say that the explosives in question had been confiscated in the National Capital Region (NCR) and moved to Nowgam for forensic examination. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has categorically ruled out militant involvement or any terror link and treated the event as a tragic accident.
Wider context
The station-blast comes just days after a deadly car explosion in New Delhi that killed eight people and was officially declared a terror attack. The incident underlines the security fragility of the region where heavy weaponry or explosive materials sometimes fall into processing or storage in civilian proximate areas.
Investigation and next steps
An inquiry has been launched to determine exactly what triggered the detonation, how the materials were handled and whether safety protocols were followed. Officials say they will also review the procedures for storing and examining seized explosive materials. Identification of the deceased is underway, with some of the bodies severely charred.
