Jammu: Seven civilians, including five women, were killed and 15 others were injured on Tuesday as mortar shells hit civilianareas, triggering mass migration from dozens of frontier villages near here, officials said.
The officials said five civilians were killed in Ramgarh of the frontier district of Samba on the International Border and two others lost their lives in Rajouri on the Line of Control — the de facto border that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
A police spokesperson said the dead in the Ramgarh sector included a girl, 16, and two other women. A total of 15 more civilians were injured in the shelling from across the border.
“All the injured civilians have been shifted to hospital,” the spokesperson said. At least two dozen head of cattle have also perished.
Border skirmishes intensified after militants attacked a military base in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri, killing 19 Indian soldiers on September 18.
India claimed to have carried out a surgical strike after the attack across the Line of Control. Pakistan has denied the claim.
India shares 230 km of International Border and 740 km of LoC with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.
The boundary, manned by the paramilitary BSF runs through Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts, and the LoC, which is not an internationally-accepted frontier, cuts across other regions of the state. (Agencies)
