A bus carrying pilgrims fell in a gorge after some militants opened fire in Jammu Kashmir's Reasi, reportedly 9 people have lost their lives and over 30 have suffered some major injuries following the terrorist attack. The horrific incident took place on Sunday evening when the whole nation was busy in the Oath ceremony of the Prime Minister.

“We received reports that militants were lying in wait, and they fired on the bus, which had left Shivpuri and was on its way to Katra. As a result, the driver lost control and the bus fell into a gorge. Rescue operation has been completed – nine people are dead, and the 33 injured have been hospitalised. The people (on the bus) are not locals, but their identities are yet to be confirmed. So far, we’ve learnt that they may be from Uttar Pradesh,” the Reasi SSP, Mohita Sharma, said.

“Whenever there’s an incident of militancy, we are on high alert… The Shivpuri shrine had been secured, and in adjoining areas too, we had been conducting area domination activities,” she added when asked about the militant activity in the area.

The SSP Mohita Sharma and Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Pal Mahajan were present on the spot and ensured that the rescue operation was conducted smoothly. Following the attack, an army helicopter was brought to conduct the search operation.

Some locals confirmed that two masked militants opened fire on the bus, hitting the driver and some passengers. They said three of the passengers were killed by the bullets while the remaining six lost their life due to the crash. However, officials said these speculations can only be confirmed after the post-mortem.

"Anguished by the loss of lives due to a bus mishap in Akhnoor. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover soon. Rs. 2 lakh would be given to the next of kin of each deceased due to the bus mishap. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office said in a post as reported by Hindustan Times.

While Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X, “Even while PM, Shri Narendra Modi and his NDA Govt get sworn in and heads of several countries are in the country, a dastardly terrorist attack on a bus carrying pilgrims has resulted in loss of lives… Just three weeks ago, tourists were fired upon in Pahalgam, and several terror incidents in Jammu & Kashmir are continuing unabated. All the chest-thumping propaganda of bringing peace and normalcy by the Modi (now NDA) Govt rings hollow.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said this incident reflects “the true picture of the worrying security situation in Jammu and Kashmir”.

These types of bus attacks have become a frequent tactic for terrorists. For instance, in May 2022, a bus travelling from Katra to Jammu was bombed by terrorists. Reasi district has been less prone to terrorist activities compared to neighbouring terrorist hotspots Rajouri and Poonch.