Srinagar: At least seven civilians were killed in an explosion in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Sunday shortly after a gunfight had left three militants dead, officials said. A police spokesman said the gunfight took place after security forces cordoned off a village in Kulgam on a tip-off that militants were hiding there.
The exchange lasted several hours in which three militants were killed and two Army soldiers injured. The police said despite repeated warnings that civilians should not visit the encounter site unless these are declared safe, dozens of locals rushed there.
“Someone from the crowd fiddled with an unexploded substance, resulting in the tragic incident,” the spokesperson added. (IANS)