Bomb blast kills four police in held Kashmir

OCCUPIED SRINAGAR: Four policemen were killed Saturday in a bomb blast set off by suspected militants in Indian occupied Kashmir, police and reports said, marking a deadly start to the new year in the restive valley.

They were on patrol when the improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in Sopore, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the main city of Srinagar.

"IED blast in Sopore. Four policemen were killed," Jammu and Kashmir police said on Twitter.

The bomb was planted by militants near a shop amid a strike called by separatists, the Press Trust of India and other local media said.

The latest incident comes during a spike in violence in the disputed region which is claimed in full by India and Pakistan.

Last week four Indian soldiers were killed in an attack by armed militants who stormed a paramilitary camp outside occupied Srinagar.