Four Killed in IED Blast Across LoC Near J-K’s Poonch, Security Heightened

At least four residents of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) were killed in a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) blast near the Line of Control (LoC), opposite the Krishna Ghati sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, prompting heightened security, officials said.

The explosion occurred on Monday in the Satwal-Naki area of Hajira tehsil in PoJK. Preliminary information received from across the border indicated that the group was laying water pipes on the Pakistan side of the LoC, officials said.

The deceased were identified as Faizan Sagheer, Ishtiaq, Waqas Sharief and Asim Rafiq, residents of Battal Mandhol village in PoJK. They were reportedly cousins.

However, conflicting accounts emerged over the circumstances of the blast. While preliminary inputs suggested that the men were working on a water pipeline, some security sources suspected they were attempting to infiltrate Indian territory. Their identities and any alleged involvement in terror activities had not been independently established.

The circumstances leading to the explosion remain unclear. The Indian Army had not issued a formal statement on the incident in the reports reviewed.

Following the blast, security forces sounded an alert across the sector and intensified vigilance along the LoC to assess the situation and prevent any possible security breach. In a separate development, Army troops detected two rusted landmines near the border fence in the Basoni area of Mendhar sector on Monday.

The devices were spotted during track construction at 8.25 am and 12.10 pm, respectively, officials said. Army experts subsequently destroyed both explosives in controlled explosions. Around a dozen landmines have been detected and defused in the area over the past week, officials said.

Forward areas along the LoC are dotted with landmines as part of an anti-infiltration system. Heavy rainfall can dislodge the explosives and bring them to the surface, potentially endangering people in the vicinity.

The heightened alert comes amid continued security vigilance along the sensitive border, where the circumstances surrounding Monday's fatal explosion remain under investigation.