India-Pakistan Conflict: More blasts heard in Srinagar – 'tremor with a loud boom'

India-Pakistan Conflict: More explosion-like sounds were heard in Srinagar on Saturday afternoon. There were at least 3-5 blasts in Srinagar and nearby Awantipura, locals in Srinagar said.

These blasts were heard hours after the city was rocked by multiple blasts early morning on 10 May. The blasts, some of them loud, were heard hours after the Indian military thwarted drone attacks by Pakistan at several places in the city.

In between the two series of blasts, India accused Pakistan of targetted civilians and civilian infrastructure, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and Paunjab. “There has been a particular focus in its targetting of civilian infrastructure and the population in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said during the special briefing on Saturday.

The blasts on Saturday morning were heard near vital installations, including the airport, news agency PTI, quoted unmamed officials. Sirens also went off across the city as soon as explosions were heard.

Electricity was also cut across the city, locals told LiveMint on phone from Srinagar.

“There were three back-to-back blasts at around 6 am. Then there was another explosion after some time. This one was the loudest and felt like a tremor with a loud boom. Since then there have been blasts but not as loud. ,” a Srinagar resident said amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

Saturday's explosions came a day after India foiled Pakistani drone strikes on 26 locations in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Srinagar saw drone attack on Friday too.

For most of the Srinagar residents the explosions like these are unheard off. “We have seen conflicts, encounters in last three decades. But we never before seen drone attacks and such explosions in Srinagar,” said another resident who lives in downtown area of Srinagar. 

Operation Sindoor

The Pakistan's drone attack and counter-offensive by India was a day after India destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The strike by India, coined Operation Sindoor, came two weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed on 22 April.

Similar reports of drone attacks came from Jammu too where, visuals shared by news agency ANI, showed damaged houses. There was no damage reported from anywhere in Srinagar, until this report was filed.

Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan claimed that India has fired missiles at three air bases in the country. But most of the missiles were intercepted and that retaliatory strikes on India were underway, it said as reported by news agency AP. News agency ANI said India has hit four air bases in Pakistan, quoting sources.

There was no official comment from India on this claim yet.

Meanwhile, the Group of Seven nations, or G7, urged “maximum restraint” from both India and Pakistan amid flaring hostilities.

“Further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability. We are deeply concerned for the safety of civilians on both sides,” a statement by Canada on behalf of G7 foreign ministers said Friday. “We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome,” the G7 said in a statement.

In a related news, an officer of the J&K Administration Services died as Pakistani shelling hit his residence in the Rajouri town of Jammu and Kashmir early Saturday. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shared the “devastating news” on X social media platform.

Omar Abdullah said, “We have lost a dedicated officer of the J&K Administration Services.” The officer Raj Kumar Thapa was posted as Rajouri additional DC.

(With agency inputs)