The attack occurred on the bus en route from Shiv Khori temple to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra near Teryath village in the Poni area. The bus, a 53-seater, veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge following the gunfire at aound 6:15 pm

"An unfortunate incident occurred and as per the initial reports, the terrorists had laid an ambush and opened fire on the bus which had left Shiv Khori for Katra. The driver lost balance and the vehicle fell into the gorge," Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Mohita Sharma told reporters at the scene

Sharma said the rescue operation was completed and so far nine persons are dead and 33 others injured in the incident and they have been shifted to different hospitals

"The identity of the deceased is not clear yet but preliminary reports suggest that they all belong to Uttar Pradesh," the officer said

Sharma said they usually remain on high alert and have fully secured the Shiv Khori temple with frequent conduct of area domination patrols in the adjoining areas for the past many days

"We have also started firing practice for the Village Defence Guards and they all have been put on alert," the SSP said

This attack marks a significant escalation in violence in the region, as the Reasi district had previously been relatively untouched by terrorist activities compared to neighbouring areas like Rajouri and Poonch

Jammu and Kashmir police spokesperson said in a statement that a bus carrying yatris from Shiv Khori to Katra was targeted "apparently by terrorists using firearms" at about 6.10 PM in the Pouni area of Reasi district bordering Rajouri district

The driver was hit and lost control, resulting in the bus sliding into the nearby gorge