In a shocking incident, at least 15 people were injured when a powerful grenade exploded near the Amarnath Yatra base camp in North Kashmir. The blast occurred on late Tuesday at the main entrance of the Baltal base camp.
In the Baltal camp several hundred pilgrims spend nights before the start of the Yatra for the Hindu cave shrine of Amarnath in the Himalayas.
According to the police reports, separatist militants had lobbed a grenade at the camp base and the grenade exploded near the gate of the Baltal camp.
A senior police official said that the injured people were provided first aid by the camp administration at the camp itself. Three critically injured people were rushed to Srinager for treatment on the advice of attending doctors at the camp.
The report says that 15 people injured in the blast including nine Tibetan vendors, four local porters and two pilgrims. Just after the blast, the security forces immediately surrounded the spot and started searching for the militants.
The authorities further beefed up the security around the camp. The blast triggered fear, disorder and confusion among the several hundred pilgrims in the camp. Later, the security forces brought the situation under control within hours.
