SRINAGAR: Two Army jawans were injured in a landmine explosion near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Tuesday.
According to the sources, the landmine explosion occurred near the Upper Garh forward post of 8 Rashtriya Rifles in the Kamalkote area of the Uri sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
They said the blast was accidental in nature, and that the landmine explosion caused injuries to two soldiers, who were a part of the army party patrolling the area.
The injured soldiers—identified as Dafadar Vijay Kumar, 42, and Naik Sharanapa Angari, 28—were airlifted to the army’s base hospital at Badamibagh Cantonment in Srinagar. A team of doctors is attending to the jawans.
Sources said the explosion appeared to be accidental, likely to have been triggered after the soldiers inadvertently stepped on it. An army official, while confirming that the blast took place, said the exact cause of the explosion is under investigation.
A team of officials visited the blast site after the explosion to assess the situation and take first-hand information from the jawans who were part of the patrol party.
This is the second such incident to have taken place near the LoC in J&K in over a month. On June 16, a junior commissioned officer (JCO) and three army men were injured in an explosion near the LoC in the border district of Rajouri.
The explosion was caused by accidental activation of a landmine during the patrol by army men of the forward area of the Kalal area of the Nowshera sector.
The landmines have been planted as part of an anti-infiltration grid in the areas close to the LoC to prevent infiltration of terrorists and any misadventure from the Pakistani troops.
On occasions, the landmines drift away from their exact location by heavy rains, resulting in accidental blasts.