Srinagar, Jul 29 (IANS): Four persons were killed in a mysterious blast in J&K's Sopore town on Monday, officials said.

"Four people sustained critical injuries when a mysterious blast occurred in the Shair colony of Sopore town today afternoon. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital where doctors declared three of the injured brought dead. “The 4th injured person was shifted to SKIMS hospital in Srinagar, but he succumbed to injuries on the way," an official said.

"The deceased have been identified as Nazir Ahmad Nadroo, Azam Ashraf Mir, Adil Rashid Bhat, and Abdul Rashid Bhat, all residents of Sopore area," the official added.

Police have registered a case and investigations have been taken up, the official said, adding that the exact nature of the explosion is still being ascertained.

Sopore town was the hotbed of separatist violence in the Kashmir Valley amid the insurgency. During the last four years, the area has been peaceful and free of terrorist violence. The area was also the political stronghold of hardline separatist leader, late Syed Ali Geelani, who belonged to this town.