Nine killed, 21 injured after terrorists ambush passenger bus in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

A passenger bus was ambushed by terrorists in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Gilgit Baltistan (GB) region, killing nine people and injuring 21.

According to Dawn newspaper, the attack happened near Chilas in Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday evening.

While dodging the bullets, the Islamabad-bound bus, which was operated by a local private company, veered into the opposite side of the road and collided with a truck.

Two army men among dead

Among the dead were two army soldiers, who were in the bus, and one personnel of the Special Protection Unit was injured in the attack, Deputy Commissioner Chilas Arif Ahmed said.

Police said the bus was on its way from Ghizer district to Islamabad via Gilgit.

It started its journey from Ghizer, and made a stop at Gilgit to pick up more passengers, before moving towards the federal capital, the newspaper reported,

The GB interior minister said the bus driver stepped on the accelerator due to the firing which led to its head-on collision with a goods truck. He termed the gun attack as a terror incident.

According to local reports, the terrorists managed to escape from the scene after the attack.

The condition of several people was said to be critical and the death toll was expected to rise further.

So far, no organisation has taken responsibility for the attack.

GB CM vows retribution 

In a statement, the Diamer deputy commissioner Sardar Shehryar said, “An unfortunate incident occurred in which a cowardly act was done, targeting a bus,”  adding that five dead bodies had been identified.

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The Diamer Superintendent of Police told Dawn.com that the first responders on the scene were police officers who moved the dead and the injured.

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Condemning the attack, GB Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan announced a special team to investigate the incident.

“The government is under attack. The terrorists involved [in the gun attack] will definitely be punished and brought to justice and will be punished severely,” he was quoted as saying.

(With inputs from agencies)