Jammu/Srinagar: Blasts were heard and sirens sounded in the Jammu region and south Kashmir as many parts of the Union Territory plunged into darkness Friday, officials said.
Defence officials said drones were also sighted in Jammu, Samba and neighbouring Pathankot district in Punjab and they were being engaged.
In Srinagar, mosque loudspeakers were used to convey to locals to switch off their lights as a precautionary measure.
Explosions were heard in areas surrounding the Awantipora air base in south Kashmir.
The drones were sighted a day after India thwarted attempts by the Pakistan military to attack Indian military installations using drones and missiles.
The officials said the drones were also engaged in Udhampur and Nagrota of Jammu and Punjab.
In a related development, heavy cross-border shelling started along the International Border in Suchetgarh and Ramgarh sectors of Jammu and Samba districts.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X, “Intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery, can now be heard from where I am.”
He also posted a picture of the city in darkness, captioning the post as, “Blackout in Jammu now. Sirens can be heard across the city.”
He said in another post, “It’s my earnest appeal to everyone in and around Jammu please stay off the streets, stay at home or at the nearest place you can comfortably stay at for the next few hours. Ignore rumours, don’t spread unsubstantiated or unverified stories and we will get through this together.”
On Thursday evening, Indian air defence units successfully intercepted at least eight missiles fired by Pakistan towards the border areas of Jammu, including the strategically important Jammu airport, defence sources had said.
Drawing a parallel to the tactics of the Palestinian Hamas terror group, the sources said all “cheap” rockets directed at the Jammu region were successfully intercepted and neutralised by air defence units.
The missiles were aimed at key locations, including Satwari (Jammu airport), Samba, RS Pura, and Arnia.
A sudden power outage had plunged Jammu city into darkness following two loud explosions, likely resulting from the interception of the intruding drones. Immediately after, sirens echoed throughout the city, alerting residents to seek shelter.
The aerial objects had attempted to strike the strategic Jammu airport and its surrounding areas, which house army, air force, and paramilitary installations.
Tension between the two neighbours soared after the Indian Armed Forces on Wednesday conducted precision strikes targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 attack by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
PTI
