Blast in Poonch kills five

Five passengers of a mini bus were killed and seven others wounded in a deadly improvised explosive device blast at Marah village in the frontier Poonch district of Jammu region on Tuesday evening.

Police said terrorists carried out the explosion, when the bus carrying over a dozen passengers passed the area this evening, killing two women and three men on the spot. "Seven others who were wounded in the explosion were initially treated at the local hospital. However, because of the critical injuries they sustained in the blast, they are being shifted to Jammu for specialised treatment," Inspector General of Police (Jammu) K Rajendra told rediff.com. The bus, he said was completely destroyed in the IED blast.

Poonch district which borders neighbouring Pakistan has been relatively calm after the week-long encounter in January this year during which four security men were killed. Tuesday's deadly attack came days after Poonch district which is part of the Jammu parliamentary constituency went to polls.

Security agencies have been warning of violence during the ongoing parliamentary elections and security of various prominent state politicians has already been beefed up. Udhampur parliamentary constituency in Jammu region goes to polls on Thursday and authorities have made elaborate security arrangements for peaceful polling.