President Droupadi Murmu condemned the terrorist attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district as "dastardly act" and said that the nation stood with the victims' families. Nine people were killed and 33 were injured after terrorists struck the bus carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Sunday evening.
The terrorists opened fire on the bus which fell into a gorge, said a senior police official.
Taking to her X handle, Murmu said: "I am anguished by the terrorist attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. This dastardly act is a crime against humanity, and must be condemned in the strongest words."
"The nation stands with the families of the victims. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," she added.
The terrorists opened fire at the bus when it was on its way from Shiv Khori temple to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra near Teryath village in the Poni area. Among the deceased were three women and the injured were shifted to different hospitals.
"An unfortunate incident occurred and as per the initial reports, the terrorists had laid an ambush and opened fire on the bus which had left Shiv Khori for Katra. The driver lost balance and the vehicle fell into the gorge," Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Mohita Sharma told reporters at the spot, as per a PTI report.
The senior police official said that the identitiy of the deceased is not clear yet but preliminary reports suggest that they all belong to Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister Amit Shah, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Priyanka Gandhi, as well as former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Ghulam Nabi Azad, condemned the attack.