At least nine people have died and 29 others injured after a stockpile of confiscated explosives detonated at a police station in Srinagar, the main city of Indian-administered Kashmir. The incident occurred late on Friday night, November 14, 2025, at the Nowgam police station, located south of the city.
According to officials, most of the victims were policemen and forensic team members who were examining the explosives at the time. Two officials from the Srinagar administration also lost their lives. Some bodies were “completely burned,” making identification difficult, and debris from the blast was found in houses up to 200 metres away. Five people remain in critical condition, and authorities have warned that the death toll could rise.
Authorities have clarified that the explosion was not a terror attack. “The blast happened when a forensics team and the police were checking the explosive material stored at the police station,” NDTV senior executive editor Aditya Raj Kaul said on social media.
The explosion comes just days after a deadly car blast in New Delhi killed at least 12 people near the Red Fort. Officials in the capital have linked that attack to Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and its offshoot, Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
Police investigations in Srinagar revealed that the Nowgam station had been probing posters by JeM warning of attacks on security forces and “outsiders.” Authorities recovered nearly three tonnes of explosives, which they said were intended for large-scale attacks. Police also identified a “white-collar terror ecosystem” involving radicalized professionals and students in contact with foreign handlers.
Kashmir has remained a disputed region between India and Pakistan since 1947, with both nations claiming the territory. The two countries have fought three wars over the region, and tensions remain high over its status.
