Seven people working on a key tunnel project in Indian-controlled Kashmir were killed in a gun attack, with at least five others injured, according to officials on Monday.
Police have blamed militants opposing Indian rule for the "terror attack," which took place at a camp for construction workers near the resort town of Sonamarg. No group has claimed responsibility.
Authorities said at least two gunmen opened fire "indiscriminately" at workers and officials involved in the construction.
Two people died at the scene of the attack, and at least 10 others were rushed to a nearby hospital, where five more succumbed to their injuries.
The attack occurred shortly after the workers had returned to their lodgings on Sunday night. Independent confirmation of the incident was not immediately available.
Among the dead were five nonlocal laborers and officials, as well as one Kashmiri worker and a doctor. Police and military reinforcements launched a search operation in the area in an effort to locate the attackers.
The region's top elected official, Omar Abdullah, condemned the attack on social media platform X, describing it as "dastardly & cowardly." His words were echoed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a prominent Kashmiri resistance leader, who expressed deep sorrow over the killings. "Another grim reminder of the unending cycle of violence and uncertainty we are suffering for decades," Farooq wrote on X.
The tunnel project, which aims to connect the Kashmir Valley with Ladakh, is seen as strategically significant, particularly for the Indian military. Ladakh, a remote region that is often cut off by heavy snowfall, shares de facto borders with both Pakistan and China.
The military standoff between India and China in the area since 2020 has only heightened the importance of the tunnel for improving military capabilities.
Sunday's attack marks the second incident targeting nonlocal workers since the newly installed local government was sworn into office last week, following the region's first elections since India revoked its semi-autonomy five years ago.
On Friday, the body of a worker from Bihar state was discovered in Shopian district, riddled with bullet wounds. Police also blamed militants for that killing.
Since 2021, Kashmir has seen a series of targeted killings, many aimed at workers from other parts of India.
Anti-India rebels have also targeted Muslim village councilors, police officials, and civilians. The conflict, rooted in competing claims by India and Pakistan over the region, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths since 1989.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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