SRINAGAR, April 22: At least 26 people, including six villagers killed in an explosion, lost their lives in occupied Kashmir on Tuesday.

A homemade bomb went off early in the morning as villagers at Tral, south of Srinagar, crowded into a communal yard to milk their cattle, police said.

Six people were killed and another 13 were injured, many seriously.

“It was an improvised explosive device planted near a field and was probably meant to target (Indian) security forces,” a police spokesman said.

Hours later, four soldiers were wounded when their vehicle ran over a landmine in nearby Qazigund, police said. No group claimed responsibility for either blasts.

In the biggest clash, the Indian army claimed, 13 militants were shot dead 255kms north of occupied Jammu.

They did not say if Indian forces suffered any casualties.

“The militants were asked to surrender but refused to do so,” a police officer told Reuters. “The operation is still going on and the toll may go up further.”

Four militants were killed in another shootout 175kms north of Jammu.—Reuters