The vehicle was blown up on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Awantipora area of the district, a police official said

SRINAGAR: In one of the worst terror strikes during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regime, at least 20 CRPF personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday when a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the bus they were travelling in, officials said.

This is said to be the worst terror strike on security personnel since the Uri attack of September 2016, when four heavily armed terrorists targeted an army brigade headquarters -- causing over 17 deaths.

The Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militant group has claimed responsibly for the bloodbath.

Police identified the terrorist as Adil Ahmad from Kakapora in Pulwama. He joined the Jaish-Mohammed in 2018, they said.

The casualties are likely to go up.

Several people were injured in the terror attack, which reduced the bus to a mangled heap of iron. Body parts could be strewn around the area.

The vehicle was blown up on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Awantipora area of the district, a police official said.