Two siblings were killed and three other members of their family injured when a shell, left over during a fierce gunbattle with militants in Malroo area of the Srinagar city in October 2010, exploded inside their house on Sunday night.
“A daughter and a son of Mohammed Maqbool were killed and his two other children and wife injured in the explosion inside their home at Malroo,” a senior police officer said. The officer said the deceased have been identified as Noor Mohammed, 10 and Bismah, 8.
According to preliminary investigations, the children had found the unexploded shell from the debris of a house that was razed during a gunbattle with Jaish-e-Mohammad militants in Malroo area, 12 km from here.
They brought the shell home and were fiddling with it when the explosion took place, he said.
Eyewitnesses said the deceased were blown to pieces while the other three persons were critically injured.
The house owner escaped unhurt as he was smoking in the lawn of the house.
Three militants were killed after security forces blasted two houses where the militants were believed to be hiding in Malroo in October.
The militants were part of a larger group assigned to carry out attacks on Army’s 15 Corps headquarters at Badamibagh and another camp at Haft Chinar.