Suspected Islamic militants set off a powerful bomb blast Saturday in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing three people and wounding at least seven others, police said.
The explosives were packed in a car parked near the central jail in the main city of Srinagar and detonated by remote control as a police bus drove past, said senior police official Hemant Lohia.
Lohia said two policemen and a female passer-by were killed instantly, and seven wounded people were hospitalized. He described the condition of at least three of them as critical.
A Pakistan-based militant group claimed responsibility for the blast, a news agency report said.
Press Trust of India said a Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen spokesman called news organizations in Srinagar to say it had set off the blast. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the group's claim.
Since 1989, more than a dozen Islamic militant groups have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with neighboring Pakistan. More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, both of which claim it in its entirety. The South Asian rivals have fought two wars over its control.
India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the militants. Pakistan denies the charge, saying it only gives moral and diplomatic support to the rebels.
