Amarnath Yatris came under cross fire, attack meant for police

The 90 Bn and 40 Bn CRPF have been rushed to the spot.

The bus that came under attack at Anantnag had a Gujarat registration. The police however say that the bus had come under cross fire and the terrorists had originally launched an attack on the police party.

All the pilgrims were from Gujarat officials confirm. In fact this bus was almost an hour late and all the rest of the buses had passed through earlier, officials also say.

A picture of the bus' registration number has been circulated. The number of the bus is GJ09 Z9976. While one section say that the attack was specifically on the bus, the security officials say that the attack was not meant to be direct.

A series of investigations have been launched following the attack that took place at 8.30 pm in which 7 yatris lost their lives.

While two pilgrims were killed on the other spot, the others succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital, he also said. The bus was not part of any convoy and was not registered with the shrine board.

The 90 Bn and 40 Bn CRPF have been rushed to the spot. While rescue operations are the first priority a separate team has launched a man hunt for the terrorists.

The terrorists had launched an attack on the police party, but the pilgrim bus was caught in the crossfire which led to the death of the seven Amarnath Yatris. The Inspector General of Police Jammu and Kashmir, Munir Khan told this website that a group of heavily armed militants attacked the police parties in Bantegoo and Kanabal areas today.

While two pilgrims were killed on the other spot, the others succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital, he also said. The bus was not part of any convoy and was not registered with the shrine board.

OneIndia News