Three civilians were killed and 20 injured in shelling by Pakistan on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on India's Independence Day on Saturday, officials said.
"Three civilians have been killed and 20 others injured in Pakistani shelling in Mendhar sector," Jammu divisional commissioner Pawan Kotwal told IANS.
"We have rushed helicopters to the area to shift the injured civilians to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu city where all emergency staff has been alerted to receive the injured civilians," he said.
Kotwal said the three people were travelling in a car when it was hit by a shell fired from the Pakistan side. Many civilians gathered at the site to see what was happening, when they were hit by a second shell fired from Pakistan, injuring 20 of them.
The Pakistan Army began shelling on Saturday morning in civilian areas in Mendhar, Saujiyan and Mandi sectors of the LoC in Poonch district.
Military spokesman Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS that the Indian Army "retaliated effectively" at all these places.
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Pakistan "resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing" at Indian positions at 7.30 a.m. in Poonch district, the spokesman said.
"They (Pakistan) used 82 mm mortars and automatics to target our positions in Mandi and Saujiyan sectors," he said.
The spokesman said Pakistan had violated the ceasefire during the night too.
"They violated the ceasefire from midnight to 3 a.m. also. After that, the shelling and firing stopped till 7.30 a.m."