5 jawans killed in suspected terror attack in J&K's Poonch

Five Army soldiers were killed and another was seriously injured on Thursday after their vehicle caught fire while moving from Bhimber Gali to Sangiot in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. officials said.

"Today, at about 1500 hours, one vehicle of Indian army, while moving from Bhimber Gali to Sangiot in district Poonch (J&K), caught fire," Public Relations Officer (Defence), Jammu, said. "In this tragic incident five soldiers of the Indian Army have lost their lives," he said. He said further details are being ascertained about the nature of incident.

In a statement, the Army said the deceased Army soldiers were from a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counterterror operations.

The Army said the vehicle the soldiers were travelling in came under fire from unidentified terrorists and it caught fire because of likely use of grenades. ''Today, at approximately 1500 hours, one Army vehicle, moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajauri sector was fired on by unidentified terrorists, taking advantage of heavy rains and low visibility in the area,'' the Army said.

Some reports suggested a sticky bomb or an ambush might have triggered the fire, but officials were unavailable for comments.

Army and police personnel have rushed to the spot, which is 90 kilometres from Poonch. ''The vehicle caught fire, due to likely use of grenades by terrorists,'' it said.

Five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles Unit deployed for counterterrorist operations, in this area have unfortunately lost their lives in the incident, it said.

The Army said another soldier was seriously injured and he was evacuated immediately to the Army hospital at Rajauri.

The Army said operations are underway to catch the perpetrators. In an initial statement, the Army said the five personnel were killed after their vehicle caught fire, adding further details are being ascertained.

Meanwhile, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande has briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the incident.

Visuals showed semi-burnt bodies of the soldiers lying on the road beside the burning truck. Local people and some army personnel were seen extinguishing the fire.

Army and police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area and put halt on the vehicular traffic on the highway.