Twelve CRPF jawans were killed and many injured in an IED (improvised explosive device) blast in Lethpora area of south Kashmir's Pulwama on Thursday afternoon

The blast "severely" damaged two CRPF vehicles -- a car and a bus.

"Twelve CRPF jawans were killed and many others injured," a police official toldThe Hindu.

Preliminary reports suggested that the blast occurred at 3 p.m. when the CRPF convoy, carrying a dozen jawans, was moving on the highway. Inspector General, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) said a vehicle laden with explosives managed to hit the CRPF convoy.

Terror outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a suicide blast. A JeM spokesman said its cadre Adil Ahmad Dar alias Waqas carried out the bombing. It was not immediately clear if Dar was in the vehicle when it exploded.

"All injured have been shifted to a hospital," said the police.

The highway was sealed, as deployments were rushed to the spot. The police said they were verifying if the IED was planted on a vehicle and was detonated when the CRPF vehicles neared it.

Here are the political reactions to the terror attack:

Omar Abdullah

Mehbooba Mufti

The Congress party conveyed its condolences to the family of the slain jawans through its official Twitter handle. "We are deeply saddened and angered by the terrorist attack that took the lives of our CRPF jawans in Pulwama. We strongly condemn this violence and stand with the martyrs. Our thoughts & prayers are with their friends and families in this time of grief," they tweeted