Residents In LoC Areas Abandon Homes After Heavy Shelling Leaves Houses Damaged, Several Dead

In a sharp escalation in cross-border shelling, Pakistan on April 7 targeted the civilian population residing near the Line of Control (LoC), killing at least 16 civilians and leaving 40 injured. Late on April 7 night, the Indian Army confirmed that a soldier had died in Pakistani shelling.

While intense artillery fire was heard in the Uri and Tangdhar sectors of the Valley, the worst was in Poonch, which saw artillery shells hit buildings for the first time since the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Two houses were completely damaged and six were partially damaged in Uri. At least nine people sustained injuries, with one receiving critical wounds. On the night of April 7, shells landed in areas several miles away from the main town of Uri, which remained shut through the day. Police barred civilian movement towards Uri town.

Residents in several areas close to the LoC were evacuated. The shells landed in the houses from behind the mountain. Smoke from the burnt wood rose as several houses remained abandoned.

READ | Defence Ministry Confirms Overnight Strikes; 16 Civilians Killed Due To Pak Shelling Along LoC

Lal Din, 65, a Salamabad resident, said: 바카라�We were in our house when the shells landed in our courtyards by around 2 pm. We were fast asleep and woke up because of the pounding. The shelling continued till the morning prayers.바카라�

The heavy shelling led to the closure of schools and left locals terrified. Hafizullah, 60, said that he has no recent memory of the shelling, and if there was any artillery fire, the bombs would land in the river or hit the mountain areas. 바카라�Everyone has abandoned the houses here. The only way we can get respite is through peace along the LoC,바카라� he said.

Naseer Ahmad a resident of Arambuia area said: 바카라�We heard shelling from 12:30 am to 4 am. The shells landed in the forest areas. We were lucky that we weren't hit.바카라� The sound of the mortar shells was heard in Boniyar around 20 km away from the main town of Uri.

Residents of the border areas and those living along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir have been grappling with fear after a repeated exchange of small arms fire between Indian and Pakistani troops for the last two weeks. According to Army officials, an intermittent exchange of small arms fire was earlier witnessed along the international border and the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

A senior Army official earlier said that the exchange of fire mostly took place during the night hours in Kashmir as well as in the Jammu areas. The residents along the LoC in Poonch and Uri areas have been living on the edge, fearing that these areas could see the use of heavy artillery fire by the Pakistani troops.

Residents in several areas have cleaned the bunkers after the shelling. Apni Party leader, Raja Manzoor, said that the shelling has disrupted life along the LoC as shepherds have been told not to take cattle for grazing in the nearby meadows for the past 12 days.

바카라�Vehicles and houses have been damaged in large numbers in several areas close to the LoC in Kupwara district. Due to the small arms fire, the residents in the areas that are close to the LoC have been very tense in the past few days. The areas of Karnah, Keran, Machil and Nowgam in Kupwara lack individual shelter houses and there are limited community bunkers in the area. We have been seeking that the government should provide proper bunkers to avoid losses during mortar shelling from Pakistan,바카라� he said.

Manzoor added that authorities should provide proper staff at the hospitals to deal with border skirmishes. 바카라�The hospitals in Kupwara, like the main Sub District Hospital (SDH) lack staff. How can we deal with this situation?바카라� he said.