A bomb hidden in a pickup truck exploded in a bustling town in Indian-controlled Kashmir today and killing 15 people.
The blast near a security forces camp in the town of Pulwama killed 11 civilians, three paramilitary soldiers and the suspected attacker, and injured at least 60 others.
It also uprooted trees, shattered two cars and damaged a dozen shops, a school and a post office. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Nearly 88 pounds of explosives were hidden in the pickup truck, which had been carrying bricks and sand for construction of a wall around the area, about 30 miles south of Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state.
An AK-47 rifle was recovered near the body of the unidentified attacker found in the truck.
Shortly after the explosion, angry residents came out into the streets protesting delays in rescue efforts of the wounded. Police fired tear gas and warning shots, and four protesters were injured in a scuffle with police.
More than a dozen Islamic militant rebel groups have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with Pakistan. At least 66,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict since 1989.
Peace initiatives by India and Pakistan in the past year and a half have eased tensions in Kashmir. Nine separatist leaders are visiting Pakistan as part of efforts to settle the dispute.