Two killed, 5 injured in Kashmir blast

Srinagar, Jul 20 (UNI) A tourist from Uttar Pradesh and a local 8-year-old boy were killed and five others injured in a hand grenade blast at world famous tourist resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir this afternoon.

Official sources said unidentified militant hurled a hand grenade near Sumo stand at Gulmarg this afternoon causing injuries to seven people---three tourists and four locals--.

Out of thess seven, two people, including a tourist identified as Ashok Kumar of Uttar Pradesh and a local boy Mohammad Yousuf later died on the way to hospital.

The other injured were identified as Taqveel Tiwari and Badri Sonu of UP and Parvez Ahmad, Tahira and Irshad all locals.

State secretary of the Communist Party of India (M) Mohammad Yousuf Targami has strongly condemned the blast.

He said these incident reflects the frustration of those who were enemies of peace and hired among the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The blast at Gulmarg took place at a time when the arrival of tourists was again picking up after receiving a severe jolt due to strike and agitation for more than a week on Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) land issue.

Yesterday, nine soldiers were killed and 20 others wounded when militants of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) triggered a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Narbal on Srinagar-Baramulla raod when an army convoy was passing by the area.

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