The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, which was temporarily suspended last week in the wake of violence over Amarnath land row, resumed from Srinagar [Images] on Thursday morning with 61 passengers leaving for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Out of the 61 passengers, 58 were returning home to Muzaffarabad, officials said.

"Thursday's bus service was arranged in order to clear the backlog of last week," they said, adding the fortnightly bus service will also ply as scheduled on August 28.

The bus service was suspended on August 14 in the wake of violence in the Valley after five persons, including Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz were killed in police firing on a rally marching towards Muzaffarabad to end the 'economic blockade' enforced by Sri Amarnath Yatra [Images] Sangarsh Samiti in Jammu.

The violence left a total of 22 people dead in Kashmir but the Valley has been calm for a few days.

The bus service was started in April 2005. It could not operate for a brief period after a massive earthquake on October 8 the same year damaged a big stretch of the road on the other side.