A missile-like object landed deep inside the Dal Lake in Kashmir’s Srinagar, loud bangs were heard in Punjab's Pathankot and Jalandhar districts and air sirens rang out in Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Ferozepur districts as the military conflict between India and Pakistan took a sharp upturn, officials said Saturday.
Loud explosions rocked Srinagar on Saturday morning and smoke bellowed from the surface of the Dal lake when the object landed, the officials said. The debris is being analysed. Another suspected object was recovered from Lasjan on the outskirts of the city on Saturday morning, which is being examined, the officials said.
In Haryana's Sirsa too, some people claimed they heard blast-like sounds after midnight.
An unidentified projectile landed in a residential area at Kanganiwal village in Punjab's Jalandhar district early Saturday, officials said. The locals said a labourer was injured in the incident and a few houses sustained damages. Parts of the unidentified object were lying in the area, they said.
"I was standing near a window when some object hit a water tank (of a house) around 1.30am, shattering glasses of 4-5 houses before landing," a woman told PTI.
A migrant labourer who suffered injuries on his arm was taken to the hospital, she said.
Satinder Kumar, a local resident, said, "The water tank of our house was damaged, while many window panes were also shattered. There was smoke all around."
Another local resident, Muskan, too said a big explosion took place at night that forced several people to come out of their homes.
"One car was damaged...We were all scared," she said.
Sharing her experience, Surjit Kaur said a red-coloured light flashed in the sky which was followed by a big explosion.
"Water tanks of some other houses in the area were also damaged," she said.
Jalandhar deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal has urged people to avoid large gatherings or crowding. He also urged people to avoid moving out in the open and movement in tall buildings, besides ordering closure of markets in Jalandhar Cantt and Adampur.
"Malls and high-rise commercial buildings in the rest of the district will remain closed today," the DC said, asking people to stay calm.
Blast-like sounds were also heard around 5am in Pathankot and around 8:30am in Jalandhar. However, there was no official word in this regard.
Air raid sirens were sounded in Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Jalandhar on Saturday morning, officials said. The Amritsar district administration at 7:54am asked people to remain indoors and stay away from windows.
There were reports of explosion-like sounds being heard early Saturday in Amritsar and Goindwal Sahib in Tarn Taran district.
Debris of unidentified objects were found at some places at Beas in Amritsar, Jalandhar and Tarn Taran districts, officials said.