Blast that killed four in PoK village near LoC triggers security alert

The blast prompted the Indian security forces to sound an alert across the sector and intensify vigilance along the LoC. (File photo)

A POWERFUL blast in a forward village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district on Monday evening prompted heightened security on the Indian side.

Sources said four PoK residents were killed in the blast, suspected to have been caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), in the Satwal-Naki area in PoK’s Hajira tehsil, opposite Krishna Ghati area of Poonch.

The explosion reportedly occurred when some villagers were laying water pipes along the Pakistan side of the LoC, the sources said, identifying the deceased as Faizan Sagheer, Waqas Sharief, Ishtiaq and Asim Rafiq, all residents of Battal Mandhol village in PoK.

There is no clarity on the circumstances leading to the explosion, but it is suspected that the villagers activated the IED while laying water pipes, causing the explosion.

The blast prompted the Indian security forces to sound an alert across the sector and intensify vigilance along the LoC to assess the situation and prevent any possible security breach, officials said.

In a separate development, Indian Army troops on Monday detected two rusted landmines near the border fence in Basoni area of Mendhar sector.

The landmines were spotted during track construction at 8.25 am and 12.10 pm, officials said, adding that both explosive devices were later destroyed by experts in a controlled explosion.

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Nearly a dozen landmines have been detected and defused by the Army in the area in the past week.

The forward areas along the LoC in J&K are dotted with landmines as part of the anti-infiltration system. However, heavy rainfall sometimes washes away the mines, causing them to surface in areas where they may pose a potential risk.