Nowgam Blast: 9 Dead, 32 Injured as Seized Explosives Detonate at Jammu and Kashmir Police Station

A catastrophic explosion at the Nowgam police station on the outskirts of Srinagar on Friday night killed nine people and injured 32 others after a large cache of confiscated explosives detonated while officials were handling the material.

Police and forensic teams were processing and taking samples from explosives that had been seized in an earlier investigation when the stockpile detonated in the station’s open compound, triggering a massive blast and subsequent fires that damaged the building and nearby vehicles. Authorities have described the incident as accidental.

Casualties and response

Local officials said nine people — most of them policemen, forensic staff and other officials present at the site — were killed. Dozens were rushed to hospitals with severe burns and blast injuries; several are in critical condition. Rescue teams and emergency services worked through the night to evacuate survivors and extinguish fires.

Link to Earlier Seizures and Delhi Probe

Police said the explosives had been seized earlier in connection with investigations that included material recovered from Faridabad, and were being examined as part of probes linked to a “white-collar” terror module that investigators have been tracking. Officials are investigating the exact cause of the detonation.

CCTV footage circulating online shows the moment a bright fireball erupted within the station compound, with successive smaller explosions and a rapid spread of flames that hampered immediate rescue operations. Authorities have collected video evidence as part of the inquiry.

Official Statements and Investigations

Jammu & Kashmir police and the DGP said the blast appears to have been accidental while explosive samples were being prepared; the Ministry of Home Affairs and other central agencies have been notified and are coordinating forensic analysis. An official probe has been ordered to determine whether procedure or storage lapses contributed to the detonation.