Suspected militants opened fire on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, killing at least 10 people and injuring 33 others, police officials said.
The driver lost control, causing the bus to plunge into a ravine in Jammu’s Resi district, they added.
While the rescue operation has ended, the Indian army and police are conducting search operations to track the attackers.
Officials said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “assessed the situation” and asked for the best medical care for the injured.
“All those behind this heinous act will be punished soon,” Manoj Sinha, the region’s top administrator, wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Officials said the bus was on its way to the base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi, a famous Hindu shrine, when it was shot at.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but regional police chief Mohita Sharma told Reuters that suspected militants “ambushed the bus.”
The Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a point of conflict between India and Pakistan for more than sixty years.
The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought two wars since 1947 over the Muslim-majority territory, which both sides claim in full but control in part. Since 1989, there has also been an armed rebellion against Delhi’s rule in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing thousands.
Delhi accuses Islamabad of harboring militants and undermining peace in the region, a charge Pakistan denies.
After news of Sunday’s attack Mr. Modi takes oath As Prime Minister of India for the third consecutive term, the swearing-in ceremony was held in Delhi.
Ms Sharma told a newspaper the passengers had not yet been identified but were believed to be from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Photos showed some of the injured, including a woman, being admitted to a hospital in Jammu for treatment.
Amit Shah, home minister in Modi’s previous government, expressed sadness over the incident.
“The perpetrators of this despicable attack will not survive and will face the full force of the law,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party, raised questions about the security situation in the region.
“This shameful incident is a true reflection of the alarming security situation in Jammu and Kashmir,” he wrote on X.
2017, Seven Hindu pilgrims killed, six of them women The bus they were traveling in was returning from the famous Amarnath pilgrimage site in Anantnag district when it was caught in a gunbattle between police and militants.
