Jammu, Dec 9 (IANS): A soldier was killed in an accidental mine blast along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K’s Poonch district on Monday, officials said.

"Havaldar Subash, 39, was critically injured during patrolling in the Mandi area of the LoC in Poonch district today. He was immediately shifted to the hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival," an official said.

"Police have registered a case in this incident and an investigation has been started," the official added.

Areas close to the LoC are protected from infiltration by planting landmines so that the infiltrators are unable to cross into the Indian side from across the LoC. Sometimes, due to rain and other weather conditions the planted landmines get shifted from the spot where they are originally planted. These are called drift mines and a majority of accidents along the LoC are attributed by experts to these drift mines. They get shifted from the original position where they are marked to be planted on the patrolling maps by the army.

The army and the other security forces have increased patrolling along the LoC in J&K as intelligence reports suggest that groups of terrorists are waiting to cross over to the Indian side before mountain passes are closed by heavy snowfall. In the hinterland also, police and the security forces have stepped up their operations against terrorists, their over-ground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers so that the terror ecosystem is dismantled in J&K. The security forces started aggressive anti-terrorist operations after the terrorists carried out some dastardly attacks in the aftermath of peaceful, people participative Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the UT.