18 jawans injured in ''accidental'' blast at Kashmir Army camp

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, August 29

An “accidental” blast at Army’s pre-induction school inside an Army base here in Khrew area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district has left at least 18 soldiers wounded, seven of them critical.

According to reports, the blast took place at 8.45 am on Saturday at the Army’s Corps Battle School (CBS), creating panic in the camp.

An Army spokesperson confirmed the incident and said the facts and circumstances that led to the blast are being ascertained.

“While prima facie it looks like an accidental blast, but sabotage in such cases cannot be ruled out either,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, choppers were put into service to evacuate all the injured, who for now are under treatment at the Army’s 92 base hospital in Srinagar.

Sources say while seven of the injured are still in critical state, the rest have been given first aid are fine.

The Army spokesperson, however, refused to divulge into details of the injured.

“We don’t know for sure how many have been injured. Details are being collected and the media will be briefed about it soon,” he said.

Khrew is located on the peripheries of Srinagar city and is for most part an industrial area with the Army and police bases also located in the vicinity.