Two more live Bofors shells recovered in south Kashmir

Srinagar, Mar 19 (UNI) Panic gripped a south Kashmir village after live Bofors shells and fuses were found in the field, official sources said.

They said the entire area in village Pahloo in south Kashmir district of Anantnag was sealed after two Bofors shells and six fuses were found.

Later, Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), Anti Sabotage Team (AST) and personnel from the local police station immediately rushed to the area.

The BDS and AST recovered the shells and fuses and later handed them over to 21 Field Ordnance Depot (FOD) at Khandroo where thousands of Bofors and other shells had exploded after devastating fire in August last year.

Since the devastating fire in the FOD, people of Khandroo and its adjoining villages had found a number of exploded shells.

More than two dozen people, including a senior Army officer and army fire fighters were killed and scores wounded in the August 11 incident.

About half a dozen civilians were also killed and wounded even after the area was declared safe by the authorities.

Most casualties took place after the villagers tried to collect the scraps of exploded shells in these villages. The defence authorities pressed into service about one hundred Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) to defuse the unexploded shells after the incident.

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