Most of the dead were policemen, including forensic officials who were examining the explosives, said the sources, who did not wish to be named.

Some of the injured are in critical condition, they said.

“The identification of the bodies is underway, as some have been completely burnt,” one of the sources said.

“The intensity of the blast was such that some body parts were recovered from nearby houses, around 100-200 metres away from the police station.”

Earlier, a local police official told Reuters an explosion had ripped through Nowgam police station.

The official said fire had engulfed the compound and fire tenders had been rushed to the spot.

The blast comes four days after a deadly car explosion in the Indian capital, New Delhi killed at least eight people in what the government has called a terror incident.