At least 9 dead as bus plunges into ravine in Kashmir after suspected militant attack

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Suspected insurgents opened fire on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in the Indian-controlled province of Jammu in Kashmir on Sunday, killing at least nine people when the vehicle plunged into a deep ravine, officials said.

The bus was carrying pilgrims to the base camp of the famous Mata Vaishno Devi Hindu temple when it was attacked in the region’s Reasi district, senior administration official Vishesh Mahajan said.

A police official said some of the victims suffered gunshot wounds and blamed the attack on Muslim militants fighting Indian rule in Kashmir. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which left 33 other people injured.

The police officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

Since 1989, rebel groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence or unification with neighboring Pakistan. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the region either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

New Delhi insists that the insurgency in Kashmir is Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this charge, and most Kashmiris view the insurgency as a legitimate struggle for freedom.

Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government troops were killed in the conflict.

The nuclear powers India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both lay claim to the entire territory.