Terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying pilgrims, killing at least nine people and injuring 33 others in India.

The gunmen reportedly attacked the bus as it was returning from a popular Hindu shrine near Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir on June 9 evening.

The shooting sent the vehicle tumbling into a ravine.

Mohita Sharma, Reasi District Police Chief, told reporters: 'Militants ambushed the bus and fired at it indiscriminately. The bus fell into a gorge, leading to the death of nine pilgrims, and 33 are injured.'

The wounded were rushed to the Narayana Hospital and Reasi District Hospital.

Indian President Droupadi Murmu has condemned the attack in a statement, saying: 'I am anguished by the terrorist attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.

'This dastardly act is a crime against humanity and must be condemned in the strongest words. The nation stands with the families of the victims. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.'

The Kashmir region, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between India and Muslim Pakistan, has been wracked by separatist militant insurgency since 1989, with India regularly accusing Pakistan of arming the rebels.