People wake up to blast-like sounds as sirens ring out in Jammu

People across Jammu on Saturday woke up to blast-like sounds as sirens rang out in the city amid a fresh wave of suspected drone attacks by Pakistan, officials said.

Artillery and mortar shelling were also reported from the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and the Akhnoor sector of Jammu district, they said.

Deafening sounds of explosions started rattling Jammu and Udhampur towns around 5 am with officials confirming a fresh wave of drone attack from across the border, triggering panic among the people.

26 locations targetted

On Friday night, drones were sighted at 26 locations, ranging from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla in the north to Gujarat’s Bhuj in the south, along both the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, according to defence officials.

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“These included suspected armed drones posing potential threats to civilian and military targets,” the officials said.

The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota and Jammu in J-K, Ferozpur, Pathankot and Fazilka in Punjab, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer and Barmer in Rajasthan, and Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala in Gujarat.

The latest drone attack came a day after India thwarted attempts by Pakistan to hit Indian military installations using drones and missiles.

Heavy cross-border shelling was also reported along the LoC and International Border intermittently in different sectors of Jammu region throughout the night.

A senior government official was among five persons killed while several others were injured in heavy Pakistani shelling in Rajouri, Poonch and Jammu districts early Saturday, officials said.

Tension between the two neighbours soared after the Indian armed forces on Wednesday conducted precision strikes targeting nine terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.

(With inputs from PTI)

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