From correspondents in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, 08:00 PM IST

A powerful grenade explosion Saturday killed five children, all belonging to a special police officer's (SPO) family, and injured two in the mountainous Banihal area of Ramban district in Jammu and Kashmir.

The police were yet to confirm whether it was a terrorist attack on SPO Abdul Rehman's house in Gurmail village, nestled in Banihal forests, or if it was an accidental explosion.

While Rehman's fate is not immediately known, two of the dead are his son and daughter.

SPOs are hired by the police to work with them in counter-insurgency operations. They are entitled to keep guns and grenades.

Police have sent teams to the village to find out exactly what happened.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)