JAMMU, Oct 12: A suspected improvised explosive device (IED) explosion rocked a forward village along the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Monday, triggering heightened security measures, officials said.
The powerful blast reportedly occurred in Satwal-Naki area near the zero line, during the movement of a group of people along the Pakistan side of the LoC, officials said.
They said casualties were reported, but the exact number of people killed or injured was not known immediately.
It is also unclear whether the group comprised suspected terrorists attempting to cross the LoC, or Pakistan security personnel patrolling the area, officials said, adding the circumstances leading to the explosion are yet to be established.
Following the explosion, security forces sounded an alert across the sector and intensified vigilance along the LoC to assess the situation and prevent any possible security breach, officials said.
In a separate development, Indian Army troops on Monday detected two rusted landmines near the border fence in Basoni area of Mendhar sector.
The landmines were spotted during track construction at 8.25 am and 12.10 pm, officials said, adding both explosive devices were later destroyed by Army experts in a controlled explosion.
Around a dozen landmines were detected and defused by the Army in the area during the past one week.
The forward areas along the LoC are dotted with landmines as part of an anti-infiltration system. However, heavy rainfall can sometimes wash away the mines, causing them to surface in areas where they may pose a potential risk.
