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Terrorists Wednesday stormed a complex housing passengers set to take the Kashmir bus service, sparking a huge fire and a fiery gun battle that left both the attackers dead, Indo-Asian News Service reported.
All the 29 passengers of Thursday's inaugural Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus link who had been kept in the complex for safety reasons were immediately taken to an undisclosed destination in a bulletproof vehicle.
Seven people injured in the audacious terror attack. Among them were three civilians and four security personnel, including a woman.
The Indian government convened a meeting in New Delhi to discuss security issues concerning Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's scheduled inauguration of the much-hyped Kashmir bus. The Pakistani government quickly condemned the attack.
The four plush, air-conditioned buses meant to ply on the route, were being driven to the complex when the attack took place and were immediately diverted to the traffic police lines.
Indian Security forces gunned down both guerrillas who zoomed to the area on a motorcycle and barged into the complex, which included the Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation's bus yard and a tourist reception center housing the bus passengers.
The complex, located in the heart of Srinagar, was gutted after leaping flames enveloped its wooden roof during the fighting between guerrillas and security forces.
As the roof went up in flames, hundreds of people who work in offices at the complex rushed out.
(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2005)
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