With 37 passengers on board, the third Srinagar [Images]-Muzaffarabad bus left Srinagar early on Thursday morning under a heavy security cover.

The passengers comprised 16 locals and 21 guests from the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir returning to Muzaffarabad after visiting their relatives in Kashmir, Poonch and Rajouri districts.

The bus left the state police control room around 0815 IST.

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Senior police officers, including the Kashmir range police chief Javed Mukhdoomi, were present as the bus rolled out of the departure lounge at the police control room.

Complete secrecy was maintained till the last moment about where the bus would start from.

A decoy convoy preceded the 'karwan-e-aman', as the Srinagar Muzaffarabad bus is known.

Security forces early in the morning checked the entire Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road for landmines.