Srinagar

The house of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let) terrorists, including the prime suspect of the Pahalgam terror attack, were destroyed when explosives believed to be stored there went off, officials said on Friday.

The incidents took place during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, when the residences of Aadil Hussain Thokar and Asif Sheikh were being searched by security forces at Guree village in Bijbehara and Tral respectively in south Kashmir, the officials said.

Explosives were believed to have been found at the premises during the search operation, prompting the security forces to evacuate the occupants of the houses as well as neighbours to safety, the officials claimed.

Both the houses were damaged in the explosions, leading to their destruction, the officials said.

Thokar, a resident of south Kashmir's Anantnag district, is one of the key accused in Tuesday's Pahalgam massacre, while Sheikh, a resident of Tral in Pulwama district, is suspected to be involved in the conspiracy of the attack.

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The family members of both men have claimed that they are not aware of the whereabouts of Thokar and Sheikh.

Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed and several injured when terrorists opened fire at a meadow near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in Anantnag district on Tuesday afternoon.