3 killed, 6 injured in explosion in Kotli, AJK

KOTLI: At least three people, including children, were killed and six others injured in an explosion in Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), ARY News reported on Sunday.

According to police, the blast occurred inside a scrap warehouse located on the Tatta Pani bypass road.

Security forces and rescue teams reached the scene immediately and shifted the bodies and the injured to a nearby hospital.

An emergency has been declared at the hospital, where several of the injured are reported to be in critical condition, raising fears that the death toll may rise.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

According to the preliminary investigation, waste pickers collect scrap from the surrounding hilly areas and sell it to the warehouse. Eyewitnesses said that an explosive item within the scrap is believed to have caused the blast.

The deceased belonged to different areas, and local residents are making arrangements to send their bodies back to their hometowns for burial.

Earlier, a suicide attack near the Judicial Complex on Tuesday claimed at least 12 lives and left more than a dozen others injured.

According to security sources, the suicide bomber has been identified as an Afghan national, while a facilitator linked to the attack belonged to Bajaur district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The suspect was traced and apprehended during a search operation following the blast.

Police sources said that five suspects have been detained from various areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad as part of the investigation. Authorities are currently determining the extent of their involvement and assistance to the suicide bomber.