Thousands of mourners across India attended funerals on Saturday (Feb 16) for some of the 41 soldiers killed in a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir as a round-the-clock curfew remained in force in part of the restive region.

Axar.az reports citing Strait Times that, the paramilitary troops were killed on Thursday as explosives packed in a van ripped through a convoy transporting 2,500 soldiers in the disputed Himalayan region, the deadliest attack in a three-decade-old armed conflict.

TV stations showed coffins wrapped in Indian flags being carried by thousands of people across their hometowns, such as Gaya in the east and Unnao in the north, after the bodies were flown to New Delhi late Friday where Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid a wreath.

India has accused Pakistan of harbouring the militants behind the attack, which has sparked nationwide outrage and some public calls for war against the nuclear-armed arch rival to avenge the killings.

Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947, with both the countries, which have fought three wars, claiming it in its entirety.

Two buses of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the 78-vehicle convoy were targeted by the bomber on a key highway in the Pulwama district, just outside the main city of Srinagar.

The Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility, and the vehicle was driven by a known local militant named Aadil Ahmad, alias Waqas Commando.

The powerful blast reduced one of the buses to a heap of mangled debris. Pictures showed bodies and body parts strewn all over the highway.

"I feel proud of the martyrdom of my son. I expect the government of India to avenge the killings," Brish Soreng, father of one of the soldiers, told reporters.

Modi on Friday warned that those responsible had made a "big mistake" and would pay a "very heavy price".

India is garnering diplomatic support after the attack and has vowed to "isolate" Pakistan diplomatically in the international community, saying it has "incontrovertible evidence" of Islamabad's role.

Pakistan says the strikes never took place.

India has some 500,000 troops in the region, making it the most militarised zone in the world, after an armed rebellion began in 1989.

Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict with most casualties civilians. Last year was the deadliest in a decade with almost 600 killed.

The separatist rebels are fighting for the independence of all of Kashmir, while some want it to become a part of Pakistan.