SRINAGAR, Feb 13: At least 25 high school students were injured by an explosion in their classroom in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Wednesday, police and medics said.

The blast occurred in a 10th grade classroom in a school in the southern Kakapora area, said senior police officer S.P. Pani. He said police are investigating the explosive and how it got into the classroom.

Medics at two hospitals said they treated at least 25 injured students, and that most have since been discharged. They said none had life-threatening injuries.

“We heard a blast and we thought an electrical transformer blew up,” school principal Javaid Ahmed told reporters. “Suddenly we saw students crying and calling out for help.”

In the past, some civilians, mainly young boys, have died or been injured while playing with explosives found at the sites of gunbattles between rebels and Indian troops in the disputed Himalayan region.

India and Pakistan each claim Kashmir in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting against Indian control since 1989.

Most Kashmiris support rebel demands that the territory be united, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country, while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.

About 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian crackdown.

 
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