KASHMIR  –  Gunmen have killed seven people working on a strategic tunnel project in Indian-administered Kashmir and injured at least five others, officials say, in one of the worst attacks in the disputed region this year targeting civilians.

Police on Monday blamed the rebels fighting against Indian rule for what they called a “terror attack” at a camp for construction workers at Gagangir, near the resort town of Sonamarg.

Police said at least two attackers fired “indiscriminately” at officials and workers associated with the construction on Sunday night, killing two people on the spot. At least 10 others were taken to hospital, where five more died.

The attack came shortly after workers returned to their lodgings. The dead included five migrant workers and officials, one Kashmiri worker and a Kashmiri doctor.

Reinforcements of police and armed forces launched search operations in the area to arrest the attackers.

Omar Abdullah, the region’s chief minister, condemned the attack in a post on social media platform X, calling it “dastardly and cowardly”. India’s Home Minister Amit Shah said those responsible would face the “harshest” response.

Hundreds of people, mostly labourers from other states of India, are working on the ambitious tunnel project that aims to connect the Kashmir valley with Ladakh, a cold desert region that is isolated for half the year because of snowfalls. Experts say the tunnel project is important to the military, which will gain significantly improved capabilities to operate in Ladakh.

The strategically important region shares de facto borders with Pakistan and China, and Indian and Chinese soldiers have been engaged in a military standoff there since 2020. Both countries have stationed tens of thousands of soldiers there, backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets.

Last Sunday’s attack was the second attack on migrant workers in the region since a largely powerless local government was sworn in on Wednesday, following the first local elections since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped the region of semiautonomy five years ago. (Al Jazeera)

Photo: Family members of a victim mourn his death at their residence in Jammu. (AFP) …[+]