Director General of Jammu and Kashmir police Nalin Prabhat  said that any other speculation into the cause that led to the blast inside the Nowgam police station in Srinagar is “unnecessary.” He also confirmed that 9 people have died in the blast and 27 others have been injured.

Sharing details during a press conference at PCR Srinagar, the DGP,  said the recovered explosive material was transported to Kashmir and kept securely in the open area of police station Nowgam.

“As part of the prescribed procedure, the samples of the recovery material had to be forwarded for further forensic and chemical examination. Because of the voluminous nature of the recovery, this procedure has been going on since yesterday,” he said. 

He further said that due to the unstable and sensitive nature of the recovery, the handling of the sampling process was being done with utmost caution; however, unfortunately, at 11:20, an accidental explosion took place. “Any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary 

He said that in the incident, 9 people were killed, including a State Investigating Agency officer, 3 FSL members, 2 photographers, 2 revenue officials and a tailor. “In addition, 27 cops, 2 revenue officials, and 3 civilians from the adjacent areas have been injured in the incident. The injured were immediately evacuated to the nearest hospitals for treatment,” he added.

The DGP also said that the building of the police station is very severely damaged, and the adjacent buildings also suffered damage. 

“The cause for the unfortunate incident is being inquired into. J&K police stand in solidarity with the families in this hour of grief,” he said.