Jammu: Several districts across Jammu came under attack on Thursday evening amid soaring tension between India and Pakistan, triggering panic among the people as blasts were reported and the skies lit up over multiple locations in the city.
As loud sirens blared in the background, the city experienced a complete blackout. Gunshots were heard from various areas.
“We heard huge blasts and it was very scary. We saw streaks of light in the air. This has been happening every 10 minutes,” Aman, a resident of Jammu, told ThePrint
Gulvinder Singh was checking his phone when he heard a sudden thud. It was 8 p.m. Before he could process anything, a series of thuds and loud explosive noises filled the air. Suddenly, the lights went off and the sirens went on, he said.
“The situation is very awful. We don’t know what will happen next. The situation has gone out of control,” said 34-year-old Singh.
Drones were seen swarming the skies over Jammu, he added.
Another resident told ThePrint that the entire city is under a blackout. “There are loud noises…(we) heard from inside the home. Families have huddled together in single rooms,” the resident said.
Pakistan carried out an aerial attack on Jammu city with at least four loitering munitions. Multiple explosions were reported from parts of the city. It is also learnt that heavy firing is on in the Samba area.
Sources in the local administration told ThePrint that Jammu airport was also targeted and at least six blasts were reported from across the city. It is not clear at this time if these were hits by Pakistan or interception by Indian air defence systems.
The sources also confirmed gunshots were heard in Jammu’s Satwari and Gandhi Nagar areas. No casualties have been reported so far, they added.
This comes on the day India thwarted attempts by Pakistan to target Indian military installations spread across the western and northern sectors including in Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar and Pathankot on the night of 7-8 May.
In fact, Pakistan had attempted to engage a number of military targets in northern and western India including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles.
This is a developing story
(Edited by Tony Rai)