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Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar
Eight persons were killed and six paramilitary force personnel, including two officers, critically injured in a massive explosion at Magam in the central Budgam district late on Wednesday evening.
A senior police officer told rediff.com on telephone from Budgam that an ice-cream cart packed with explosives was parked by militants outside the camp of the Border Security Force.
When the pushcart blew up, seven civilians were killed on the spot. The police officer said the militant who had brought the cart to the spot also died in the explosion.
Among those injured were a deputy commandant and assistant commandant of the BSF, two BSF troopers, two members of the Central Reserve Police Force and a special police officer.
The BSF camp is located near the camp of the Special Operations Group of the Jammu & Kashmir police.
Sources said six shops were destroyed in the explosion. Most of those killed were shopkeepers.
BSF guards manning a bunker near the adjoining village of Kanihama fired on a passing bus, resulting in injuries to seven passengers. The injured passengers were rushed to Srinagar for treatment.
Sources said the bodies of those killed in the explosion have been taken to the Magam police station for identification.
Budgam police chief Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari and officers of the BSF rushed to the spot with reinforcements. The BSF later mounted a search in the area.
No one has yet owned responsibility for the blast.
EARLIER REPORT: Eight feared killed in Budgam blast
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