2 soldiers killed in 'accidental blast' near LoC in Uri

SRINAGAR: Two soldiers attached to a unit deployed in J&K's Uri sector, close to the LoC and about 100km north of Srinagar, were fatally wounded Tuesday afternoon in what the Army described as "an accidental blast".

Arjun Jadhav and Vikram Balakrishna, both from Maharashtra, were taken to the Army's 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar but couldn't be saved. They were declared dead on arrival, Srinagar-based Army spokesperson Lt Col Manoj Sahu said.

He didn't elaborate beyond saying that the explosion occurred in the Kamalkote area of the Uri sector. Till late in the evening, there was no official statement from the Army disclosing the circumstances of the blast.

Elsewhere in J&K, state police and CAPF companies carried out a comprehensive joint mock drill in Pahalgam in preparation for the Amarnath Yatra starting July 3. The UT govt has already declared the Pahalgam and Baltal yatra routes a "no-fly zone" from July 1 till the pilgrimage concludes. Helicopter services catering to pilgrims will be suspended during the yatra period, the govt said.

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