Jammu goes dark after blasts heard, sirens sounded
Locals told to switch off lights in Srinagar
Jammu/Srinagar/ Chandigarh: Blasts were heard and sirens sounded in the Jammu region as the city plunged into darkness for a second consecutive night on Friday, officials said.
They said drones were also sighted in Jammu, Samba and neighbouring Pathankot district in Punjab and they were being engaged.
In Srinagar, mosque loudspeakers were used to convey to locals to switch off their lights as a precautionary measure.
The blasts come amid ongoing shelling by Pakistan following India’s strike on terror hideouts in the country earlier this week as part of Operation Sindoor.
“Intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery, can now be heard from where I am,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X.
He also posted a picture of the city in darkness, captioning the post as, “Blackout in Jammu now. Sirens can be heard across the city.”
He said in another post, “It’s my earnest appeal to everyone in and around Jammu please stay off the streets, stay at home or at the nearest place you can comfortably stay at for the next few hours. Ignore rumours, don’t spread unsubstantiated or unverified stories and we will get through this together.”
On Thursday evening, Indian air defence units successfully intercepted at least eight missiles fired by Pakistan towards the border areas of Jammu, including the strategically important Jammu airport, defence sources had said.
Drawing a parallel to the tactics of the Palestinian Hamas terror group, the sources said all “cheap” rockets directed at the Jammu region were successfully intercepted and neutralised by air defence units.
The missiles were aimed at key locations, including Satwari (Jammu airport), Samba, RS Pura, and Arnia.
A sudden power outage had plunged Jammu city into darkness following two loud explosions, likely resulting from the interception of the intruding drones. Immediately after, sirens echoed throughout the city, alerting residents to seek shelter.
The aerial objects had attempted to strike the strategic Jammu airport and its surrounding areas, which house army, air force, and paramilitary installations.
Surprisingly, sounds of blasts rattled Jammu city early Friday morning, triggering an immediate blackout, hours after India thwarted Pakistan military’s attempts to target military installations in border areas.
Activity of loitering munitions was witnessed in the skies.
The blast sounds were heard between 3:50 am and 4:45 am following sounding of sirens. Security forces neutralised the threat, officials said.
Videos showed flying objects in the skies and blasts taking place as the threats were neutralised.
Overnight ceasefire violations were also reported as Pakistani troops resorted to firing and shelling in Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu districts and Indian troops retaliated.
In a post on X, the Jammu deputy commissioner urged residents to stay calm.
All schools, colleges and universities have been closed in the region in the wake of the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, a blackout was enforced in several areas of Punjab, including in Ferozepur, Pathankot, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur, on Friday evening.
The sound of loud explosions was heard in Pathankot and Ferozepur districts. But there was no official confirmation on what caused the sounds. Official sources said air raid sirens were sounded in Ferozepur, Pathankot, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur districts.
India on Thursday night swiftly thwarted Pakistan’s fresh attempts to strike military sites with drones and missiles, including in Jammu and Pathankot, after foiling similar bids at 15 places in northern and western regions of the country, as tensions soared between the two countries amid fears of a wider conflict.
The renewed attempts and intense shelling by the Pakistani forces on the Line of Control(LoC) and the International Border(IB) in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan came after India on Thursday morning targeted Pakistani air defence systems at multiple cities with one in Lahore being “neutralised”.
The Indian armed forces on Wednesday carried out precise missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan under ‘Operation Sindoor’.
