A tragic explosion at the Nowgam Police Station on the outskirts of Srinagar late Friday night claimed nine lives and left 29 others injured, most of them police personnel and forensic experts. The blast occurred around 11:20 PM during the handling and examination of explosives recovered in a major terror module investigation.

According to officials, a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team, assisted by other experts, was packing leftover ammonium nitrate and related chemicals for safe disposal when the explosion took place. Those killed included an inspector from the SIA team of Jammu and Kashmir, three FSL personnel, two Crime Branch photographers, two officials from the Revenue Department, and one civilian tailor present at the station.

Authorities confirmed that the explosives, primarily ammonium nitrate-based mixtures, had been recovered from Faridabad, Haryana, from the residence of arrested doctor Muzammil Ganaie. Out of 360 kg of seized material, a significant portion was stored at the Nowgam Police Station as part of the ongoing investigation.

The injured were evacuated to hospitals across Srinagar for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were retrieved early Saturday and shifted to the Police Control Room for identification. The blast caused severe damage to the police station building, destroyed vehicles on the premises, and triggered smaller successive explosions that delayed rescue operations by bomb disposal teams.