Srinagar: At least five people, all belonging to a family, were killed as the India and Pakistan armies traded heavy fire and shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu on early Sunday.
An official said Pakistani troops pounded Indian posts and civilian areas along the Line of Control in Balakote sector in Poonch district’s Mendhar area with mortar shells and fired automatic weapons and small arms at around 7:40 am.
They said that some shells landed at the house of Muhammad Ramzan at Devta village, killing him, his wife Malka Bi and three sons. Two of his daughters were critically injured and have been shifted to hospital.
The official said Indian troops retaliated effectively with weapons of the same caliber. The facing troops targeted each other.
Senior government and police officials have rushed to Balakote from district headquarters Poonch. The shelling and firing has forced villagers on both sides of the LoC to flee to safety, reports received here said.
