Nine people were killed and 27 injured in an accidental explosion at the Nowgam police station in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said Saturday.
The blast late Friday, triggered by the unstable nature of chemicals, occurred while authorities were extracting samples from a large cache of confiscated explosives, according to the Press Trust of India.
Among the dead were three members of the Forensic Science Laboratory, two officials from the Revenue Department, two police photographers, one officer from the State Investigation Agency and a tailor.
This follows a fatal car explosion in New Delhi, India’s capital, four days prior, which the Indian government has labelled as a "terror incident."
Several Kashmiri media outlets reported that the explosion was triggered by a large quantity of seized ammonium nitrate-based explosives. The explosives were stored at the police station and were being inspected by a forensic team.
The explosives were reportedly confiscated earlier in November as part of an ongoing investigation that has led to multiple arrests across the disputed region, and northern Indian states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, which police say is linked to the deadly car bomb blast near Delhi's Red Fort.
According to news agency PTI, the officials were extracting samples from a massive cache of explosives recently seized in Haryana state Faridabad area.
The reason officials transported explosives from northern India to disputed Kashmir remains unclear.
Kashmir dispute and May fighting
Kashmir remains divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and both claim the Himalayan territory in full.
Tensions remain high between New Delhi and Islamabad, especially since their four-day conflict in May that saw both sides using drones, artilleries and missiles against each other, killing some 70 people on both sides.
The conflict, which saw Pakistan shooting down several Indian fighter jets, including French-made Rafales, ended after US President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire agreement and was the first to announce a cessation of hostilities.
Pakistan has credited Trump with mediating the truce. India, however, has denied that Trump played any role.
Armed resistance to New Delhi's rule began in 1989 in India-administered Kashmir, where many Muslim residents support independence or a merger with Pakistan.
India, which has stationed more than 700,000 troops in Kashmir, accuses Pakistan of fuelling the insurgency. Islamabad denies the allegations and says it only extends political, moral, and diplomatic support to Kashmiris.
The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including civilians, fighters, and Indian troops, over nearly eight decades.
The UN has passed several resolutions advocating for a plebiscite in the region.
