Nine people were killed and 32 others injured when a massive cache of confiscated explosives stored at a police station in Nowgam, near Srinagar, detonated on Friday night. The powerful blast tore through the premises while a joint team of police, forensic experts, and local officials was examining the material, which had recently been transported from Faridabad in Haryana as part of an ongoing investigation.

Most of the victims were on official duty at the site, assessing and documenting the seized explosives. Among the dead were personnel from the State Investigation Agency, three experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory, two officers from the Crime Wing, two revenue officials from the Srinagar administration, and a tailor who had been assisting the team. The explosion was so intense that it left little time for those present to react.

Emergency responders rushed the injured to the Indian Army’s 92 Base Hospital and the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), where many remain under critical care. Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat expressed deep grief over the tragedy, noting that the incident highlights the extraordinary risks faced by officials engaged in handling hazardous materials as part of counterterror and criminal investigations.

Nine people were killed and 32 others injured when a massive cache of confiscated explosives stored at a police station in Nowgam, near Srinagar, detonated on Friday night. The powerful blast tore through the premises while a joint team of police, forensic experts, and local officials was examining the material, which had recently been transported from Faridabad in Haryana as part of an ongoing investigation.

Most of the victims were on official duty at the site, assessing and documenting the seized explosives. Among the dead were personnel from the State Investigation Agency, three experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory, two officers from the Crime Wing, two revenue officials from the Srinagar administration, and a tailor who had been assisting the team. The explosion was so intense that it left little time for those present to react.

Emergency responders rushed the injured to the Indian Army’s 92 Base Hospital and the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), where many remain under critical care. Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat expressed deep grief over the tragedy, noting that the incident highlights the extraordinary risks faced by officials engaged in handling hazardous materials as part of counterterror and criminal investigations.