An NIA team has reached Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district and is coordinating with local police probing into the terror attack on a passenger bus that left nine people dead and several injured, officials said on Monday.

Meanwhile, security forces have also launched a massive cordon and search operation to track down the terrorists responsible for the attack.

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team has reached Reasi and is coordinating with the local police probing into the attack, the officials said.

Terrorists opened fire at the 53-seater bus, on its way from the Shiv Khori temple to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, causing it to veer off the road and fall into a deep gorge near the Teryath village of the Poni area on Sunday. The bus was ferrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

Officials said nine people, including a two-year-old boy from Rajasthan and a 14-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, died in the attack.

They added that 41 people aged between three and 50 were injured in the ambush. Of them, 10 suffered gunshot injuries.

Security forces, including the Army, police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), have laid multi-dimensional cordon of the Teryath-Poni-Shiv Khori area bordering Rajouri district, they said Armed with surveillance equipment, including drones and sniffer dogs, a massive combing operation has begun in the area and adjoining areas of the district, the officials said.

Terrorists involved in the attack are believed to be hiding in the upper reaches of neighbouring Rajouri and Reasi, the sources said, adding the area has dense forest belts and deep gorge.

"Search operation has been launched in the area", Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Mohita Sharma said.

The village defence committees have also been geared up in the area, she added.