Ten explosions heard near Kashmir airport as India and Pakistan exchange fire

A number of explosions have been heard near an in Indian-controlled Kashmir as continue to exchange fire as tensions between the rivals continue to escalate.

Ten explosions were heard near the airport, according to officials, after blackouts in the area. The blackouts were said to have been caused by multiple projectiles which were spotted in the sky above the city of Jammu. Sires were also heard in the region amid reports of drone attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Explosions were also heard in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in the neighbouring Punjab state.

The Indian military has said it was shooting down drones in some of the worst fighting with Pakistan in almost three decades. Indian defence officials said drones were sighted in Jammu, Samba and the neighbouring Pathankot district in Punjab.

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Mosque speakers were used in Srinagar to tell locals to switch off their lights as a precautionary measure against the incoming attacks. According to officials, the drones were also engaged in Udhampur and Nagrota of Jammu and Punjab.

Officials familiar with the matter have said Pakistani drone attacks on Srinagar airport and Awantipora air base in south Kashmir were thwarted by India's air defence system. Drones were spotted at 26 areas across India on Friday after soldiers spent Thursday night exchanging fire across the disputed frontier of the Kashmir region.

On Thursday, Pakistan launched between 300 and 400 drones, targeting 36 locations in India, including military installations. As shelling resumed along the border districts of Jammu and Kashmir in Uri, Kupwara and Poonch, it marked three days of heavy shelling across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

At least five civilians have been left dead after Indian and Pakistani soldiers clashes as tensions between the rivals continue to simmer. Soldiers exchanged heavy volleys of shells and gunfire across their frontier in Kashmir overnight into Friday.

It comes amid a growing military standoff sparked after an attack on tourists in the India-controlled portion of the disputed region. In Pakistan, an unusually intense night of artillery exchanges left at least four civilians dead and wounded 12 others in areas near the Line of Control dividing Kashmir, a local police official said. People in border towns said the firing continued well into Friday morning.

"We're used to hearing exchange of fire between Pakistan and India at the Line of Control, but last night was different," said Mohammad Shakil, who lives near the frontier in Chakothi sector. And in India, military officials said Pakistani troops barraged their posts overnight with artillery, mortars and gunfire at multiple locations.

They said Indian soldiers responded, triggering fierce exchanges until early dawn. Two people were killed and four injured in Uri and Poonch sectors, police said – taking the civilian death toll in Indian-controlled Kashmir to 18 since Wednesday.

Pakistan said Indian mortar and artillery fire has killed 17 civilians in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the same period. Tens of thousands of civilians have been evacuated by Indian authorities from near the volatile frontier. Thousands of people slept in shelters for a second consecutive night.

Tensions between the countries have soared since an attack on a popular tourist site in India-controlled Kashmir left 26 civilians dead, mostly Hindu Indian tourists, on April 22. New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for backing the attack – an accusation Islamabad rejects.

On Wednesday, India conducted airstrikes on several sites in Pakistani territory it described as militant-related, killing 31 civilians according to Pakistani officials. Pakistan said it shot down five Indian fighter jets.

On Thursday, India said it thwarted Pakistani drone and missile attacks at military targets in more than a dozen cities and towns, including Jammu city in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan denied that it carried out drone attacks. India said meanwhile it hit Pakistan's air defence systems and radars close to the city of Lahore. The incidents could not be independently confirmed.

The Indian army said today that Pakistan fired about 300-400 drones overnight in violation of Indian airspace to target military installations in nearly three dozen sites along the western borders. India brought down a number of the drones using "kinetic and non-kinetic means," Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian air force told a news conference.

Airlines in India have also suspended flight operations from two dozen airports across northern and western regions until May 15, India's Civil Aviation Ministry said. Demonstrators are set to gather in central London tomorrow to protest against potential war between the countries.

The South Asia Solidarity Group (SASG) announced an “emergency peace demonstration” will take place in Parliament Square. A Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) spokesperson said in response to the protest announcement: “Now more than ever, it’s vital that communities come together to build bridges, not barriers, and work towards a just and lasting peace in the region.”