The incident took place at Zirpora area of Bijbehara town at around 1:30 PM.
Police reports said that a Tempo traveler bearing registration number JK02AP-0676 carrying tourists of Maharashtra was on way from Srinagar to Pahalgam via Bijbehara-Srigufwara route when the explosion took place.
“We were preparing tea on a gas cylinder when it suddenly exploded,” said one of the injured tourists.
“The injured, all women, were immediately rushed to Sub-District Hospital Bijbehara where doctors declared two of them as brought dead while six others were referred to Srinagar for specialized treatment,” reports said.
Reports further said that one of the injured woman tourists succumbed on the way taking the death toll to three.
“Nine ladies, all hailing from Mumbai, and reportedly from the same family were travelling in the cab and the driver was from Jammu,” reports said.
Among the nine, Nisha, Indu Bhai and Nirmal Devi died in the accident while as Parvati, 73; Neeta Jeethani, 54; Geeta, 65; Jai Shree Desai and Jaswant Thakure are among injured.
The driver of the vehicle Ashok Kumar, who escaped unhurt, has been taken into custody by police. Police sources said the rooftop of the vehicle has got completely damaged but all windowpanes are intact.
Doctors at SKIMS said they received six injured and 60 year-old Nirmala was brought dead. They said that she had died due to hemorrhagic shock and blood loss and had also lost her hand in the blast.
Panic gripped Bijbehara town after rumors that there has been a grenade attack on tourist vehicle; however senior police officials who visited the spot soon put the speculations to rest by confirming it to be a gas cylinder explosion.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, South Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said, “Preliminary investigations suggest that the blast was triggered by explosion in gas cylinder.”
He said that they have recovered splinters of the gas cylinder from the spot.
“The FSL investigation has been initiated after which the cause of the blast will be fully ascertained,” said the DIG.
(Greater Kashmir)
