Srinagar (PTI): Nine army personnel were killed and at least 20 jawans injured on Saturday when militants of the Hizbul Mujahedin set off an Improvised Explosive Device targeting a convoy on Srinagar-Baramulla highway in the first major attack on security forces this year.

An army spokesperson said nine army personnel were killed in the IED explosion that ripped through the bus carrying them here from Baramulla at Narbal crossing on the highway at around 4.00 pm.

The impact of the blast was so severe that the bus was reduced to a scrap of iron.

The spokesperson said nearly a dozen jawans were injured in the blast.

A police spokesman said 20 jawans were injured in the blast but unconfirmed reports put the number of injured at more than 30 and the death toll is likely to go up.

According to a senior police official who visited the spot, the militants had placed the IED by the roadside, taking advantage of the road widening work going on in the area.

Hizbul Mujahedin has claimed responsibility for the attack.