In the narrow lanes around Nowgam Police Station, the blast that tore through the area on Friday night has left behind a landscape of shattered homes, broken livelihoods, and families still trembling from the shock.

What was once a quiet neighbourhood now stands scarred — cracked walls, blown-off roofs, splintered windows and doors, and belongings buried under rubble. For many residents, the destruction is not just physical but deeply emotional.
“I thought the world had ended,” recalls Rafiqa, a mother of three, who was cooking dinner when the explosion threw her against a wall. Her house, partially collapsed, is now unfit to live in. “We survived, but where do we go now?”
Elderly Ghulam Rasool, whose single-storey home suffered major structural damage, says he has never witnessed such terror in his 70 years. “My house shook like paper. The noise… nobody can forget it. We came out with dust in our eyes and fear in our hearts.”
Children in the neighbourhood remain frightened, many waking through the night at the slightest sound. Parents say the trauma of the blast has unsettled the young in ways they haven’t fully understood yet.
Residents describe seeing fire leap into the sky moments after the explosion, followed by a chaos of screams, flying debris, and smoke heavy enough to choke. “It felt like the ground ripped open beneath us,” said a shopkeeper whose store has been reduced to burnt tin and charcoal.
Officials say dozens of homes and vehicles suffered extensive damage as the blast wave cut through the locality with violent force. For families who had spent years building their modest homes brick by brick, the loss is devastating.
Despite rescue teams reaching quickly, many say the emotional wound will take far longer to heal. “Walls can be rebuilt,” said Farhat, standing outside her shattered window frame, “but the fear… that stays.”
As authorities assess damages and promise compensation, residents hope the government will move swiftly. For now, the lane that once hummed with evening chatter echoes only with the sound of sweeping glass and people searching through remains — pieces of their lives scattered by a single, terrifying moment.