Several Feared Dead After Pakistan's Overnight Artillery Shelling in Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar: Multiple casualties are feared in Jammu and Kashmir as Pakistan resorted to heavy artillery shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in the night between May 9 and 10.

A senior government officer was killed as Pakistan used heavy artillery fire to target Rajouri district along the LoC in Jammu. A minor girl and a 35-year-old man, both from Bihar, were reportedly also killed in overnight shelling in Rajouri.

According to reports, two civilians identified as Rashida Bano and Ashok Kumar, residents of Mendhar in Poonch and RS Pura in Jammu respectively, were killed in overnight shelling as Pakistan targeted several civilian areas with heavy artillery.

Multiple explosions were heard by residents overnight and on Saturday morning in parts of Jammu and Kashmir including around the civilian airports in Jammu and Srinagar, Udhampur airfield and Awantipora airbase and some residential areas along the LoC and IB.

Jammu: Security along with Civil Defence personnel and civilians gather near vehicles damaged due to an attack from Pakistan, at a residential area in Jammu, Saturday, May 10, 2025. Photo: PTI

Damages in parts of Jammu

Reports said that suspected Pakistani drones intruded into Jammu and Kashmir airspace at some places for the second day in a row while several residential houses were damaged, including in the winter capital Jammu where a prominent temple and some civilian areas were hit overnight by shells, triggering panic among the residents.

A source said the debris of projectiles and drones was recovered on Saturday from many places in J&K, though he would not specify the number of places where the debris was found or their location.

Multiple explosions were heard by tense residents around the only civilian airport in Srinagar on Friday night and Saturday morning for the first time since the government carried out precision missile strikes at the terrorist bases across the border on May 7.

At least 20 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir since India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

“Just after dawn, there were at least five to six loud explosions from the airport side. The house shook and the kids were rattled out of sleep,” said a resident of Humhama locality in Srinagar, wishing anonymity.

Sounds of explosions were also heard on Friday night by residents living in the vicinity of a defence airbase near Awantipora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. There was no official statement or reports on any injuries or casualties in the explosions.

'Jets hovering over winter capital'

In the winter capital Jammu, residents woke up after a harrowing night amid the sounds of multiple explosions, which were heard near Jammu airport, also a defence airbase, and near the airfield in the garrison town of Udhampur amid air raid sirens.

“Jets are hovering in the sky and there are intermittent sounds of explosions. I am getting frantic calls from relatives and friends who are worried for my safety,” said a Jammu resident on Saturday morning, wishing to stay anonymous.

A BSF official said that Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing along the International Border from 9 pm on Friday which was retaliated.

“BSF is responding in commensurate manner causing widespread damage to posts and assets of Pakistan Rangers along the International Boundary. Our resolve to protect India’s sovereignty is unshaken,” a BSF spokesperson in Jammu said on X.

Visuals from the winter capital showed some residential areas were hit by projectiles fired from across the border. In one, a police team is seen inspecting the debris of projectile which exploded some 80 metres from Aap Shambu Temple, a prominent religious site of Hindus.

Jammu: Security personnel and civilians gather near vehicles damaged due to an attack from Pakistan, in Jammu, Saturday, May 10, 2025. Photo: PTI.

According to reports, residential houses were damaged in parts of Jammu including Rehari, Roop Nagar, Janipur, Nagbani and Muthi due to shelling and debris falling from sky. However, there were no reports of casualties of injuries to civilians.

Reports said Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing along the International Border in Samba and Kathua districts as well.

Several dozen students from Rajouri who study at Jammu University and some colleges in the winter capital were waiting at Jammu bus stand on Saturday morning for the authorities to help them in reaching their native places as educational institutions remained shut in the Union territory for third consecutive day.

Umar Farooq, a student of Jammu University told The Wire that the public transport vehicles were refusing to take them back to their home district, which came under heavy artillery firing last night from Pakistan that killed a senior J&K officer and two civilians.

“We asked some private passenger cabs to double the fare but even they are refusing to help us get back home,” he said.

Loss of lives

Officials said that Pakistan overnight resorted to heavy artillery shelling along the LoC in Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Rajouri and Poonch in which at least four civilians and the additional deputy commissioner of Rajouri Raj Kumar Thappa were killed.

J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah posted on X: “Devastating news from Rajouri. We have lost a dedicated officer of the J&K Administration Services. Just yesterday he was accompanying the Deputy CM around the district & attended the online meeting I chaired".

“I’ve no words to express my shock & sadness at this terrible loss of life. May his soul rest in peace”, the post added.

According to reports, Thappa was injured when a mortar shell fired from across the LoC hit his residence in Rajouri. He succumbed to injuries at a hospital while two of his staff members are reported to have suffered injuries in the explosion.

The heavy artillery shelling has forced the administration to evacuate many border villages along the LoC while arrangements are also being made to arrange transport for the migrant workers living in these areas to return to their native places.

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