15 Civilians Killed, 43 Injured in Poonch Amidst Pakistan's Heavy Shelling; Watch VIDEO

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The action taken by the Indian Army on terrorist hideouts in Pakistan under 'Operation Sindoor' has caused great uneasiness and panic in the neighboring country Pakistan. As a result of this panic, the Pakistani Army has started heavy shelling since last night, targeting residential areas located near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Tangdhar sectors of Jammu and Kashmir. So far, at least 15 innocent civilians, including four children, have died tragically in this unprovoked shelling, while 43 others have been injured. Officials have confirmed this.

The shelling started soon after Indian armed forces launched precision missile strikes on nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Officials said all the civilian deaths were reported from Poonch district, the worst hit by the shelling. They said 43 people were also injured, some of whom are in a critical condition.

According to officials, this indiscriminate shelling by Pakistan caused panic in the border villages. People had to take refuge in underground bunkers or move to safer places within their villages to save their lives. They said that there are reports of heavy shelling from Balakot, Mendhar, Mankot, Krishna Ghati, Gulpur, Kerni and even areas around the Poonch district headquarters near the Line of Control in Poonch. Dozens of residential houses and vehicles have also suffered heavy damage in this shelling.

Officials identified the civilians killed in the shelling as Balwinder Kaur alias Ruby (33), Mohammad Zain Khan (10), his elder sister Zoya Khan (12), Mohammad Akram (40), Amrik Singh (55), Mohammad Iqbal (45), Ranjeet Singh (48), Shakeela Begum (40), Amarjit Singh (47), Mariam Khatoon (7), Vihaan Bhargav (13) and Mohammad Rafi (40).

Officials said that 10 people including five minor children were injured in the firing from across the border in Uri sector of Baramulla district, while three other civilians were injured in Rajouri district. They said that several houses also caught fire due to the shelling in Karnah sector of Kupwara district. The intensity of the shelling from across the border remained very high till afternoon and later it continued intermittently. This firing was mainly restricted to Poonch sector.

Officials said that due to heavy shelling, there were great difficulties in taking the injured to the hospital and in rescue operations. The Poonch bus stand also came under the shelling, due to which many vehicles were damaged. Earlier, the defense spokesperson had said that during the midnight of May 6 and 7, the Pakistan Army fired unprovoked from its posts located on the Line of Control and the International Border in front of Jammu and Kashmir, in which heavy artillery was also used.