Missile remains, shell fragments found in two Himachal districts

Una/Nurpur (HP), May 10 (PTI) Missile remains and shell fragments were recovered from two Himachal Pradesh districts, officials said on Saturday and added three explosions were heard in the forest areas of Kangra district.

The recoveries came during a military standoff between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor. The two countries have since agreed to a ceasefire, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announcing that the directors general of military operations of India and Pakistan had decided to stop all firings and military action on land, air and sea with effect from 5 pm on Saturday.

During preliminary investigation, splinters and components of guided missiles were found at the blast sites in Kangra district's Damtal area, as confirmed by defence personnel, according to a statement issued by the police headquarters.

While there were no human casualties, two cattle were found dead, bushes charred and electrical wiring damaged.

Meanwhile, suspected shell fragments were found in the Behad village of Una district, according to the statement.

Suspicious objects resembling drone remains were also found.

Located around 10 kilometres from the Chintpurni temple, Behad was rocked by the sound of an explosion at 1:30 am on Saturday during a blackout in the region amid the Pakistani military's attempts to hit Indian installations, the officials said.

The village is adjacent to Punjab, which shares a 532-kilometre-long border with Pakistan.

The officials said locals spotted the object in the morning and informed the police.

The district administration said in a statement that while preliminary investigations suggested that the object was unarmed, a team of experts was examining it.

Pakistan tried to attack India's northern region on Friday and early Saturday and it seems rocket fragments fell at Behad, the officials said.

The area has been cordoned off by the police and locals told to remain alert and not approach such objects.

In Hamirpur, residents spent a sleepless night after army aircraft could be heard piercing through the night sky around 2 am, the officials said.

Deputy Commissioner (Hamirpur) Amarjeet Singh had directed all departments to remain alert and prepared for any emergency.

He had urged people to avoid spreading misinformation on social media and beware of artificial intelligence-generated fake news and videos. PTI COR BPL SZM SZM