Three militants were also killed in the encounter which broke out in the wee hours of Sunday. (Representational)

The death toll in the explosion at an unsanitised encounter site at Laroo in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district has risen to seven after another civilian succumbed to his injuries, officials said on Monday.

Kulgam Deputy Commissioner Dr Shameem Ahmad Wani told The Indian Express, “Late Sunday night, there was a confirmation about the death of another youth as well.”

Three militants were also killed in the encounter which broke out in the wee hours of Sunday. Following the gun battle, residents of the area said an explosion at the site left several people injured. The police and army, locals claimed, had left the encounter site without sanitizing the house where the militants were hiding.

A statement issued by the state government on Sunday confirmed that the encounter site was not sanitized. “…as per the reports, the civilians rushed to the site after the encounter was over, resulting in casualties in the blast as the area was yet to be sanitized,” it said.

To protests against the deaths, the Joint Resistance Leadership has called for a complete shutdown in the Valley today. Section 144 has been imposed in the town, Wani said.