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Indian Air Force Plane Crashes in Kashmir, Shelling Continues
SRINAGAR,
June 7 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - An Indian Air Force MiG-27
fighter jet crashed during takeoff Friday, June 7 in Kashmir's summer
capital Srinagar, but no one was reported injured, officials said.
The
plane crashed at the military wing of
Srinagar
's main airport at
12:25 pm
(0655 GMT), Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.
The
area around the crash site was sealed off by security forces and all
civilian flights out of
Srinagar
were put on hold.
"There
was some problem with the aircraft, but at this stage I cannot spell
out what exactly was the nature of the problem as investigations are
still on," Squadron Leader R.K. Dhingra said in
New Delhi
.
The
incident came amid high tension in
Kashmir
, which is divided and bitterly disputed between
India
and
Pakistan
.
Last
month, Indian Air Force chief
S. Krishnaswamy
grounded 72 MiG-21s after one of the single-seated fighter jets caught
fire in midair and crashed into a bustling commercial zone in the
northern city of
Jalandhar
, killing eight people.
Ageing
Russian-made MiGs, despite enjoying the dubious nickname of
"flying coffins," form the backbone of the Indian Air Force,
which also has British- and French-built planes among its 1,200-strong
fleet, AFP said.
The
air force blames the recurring MiG crashes on the lack of an advanced
trainer jet and charges the government is dragging its feet in handing
out a 1.6 billion-dollar contract to buy 66 jets for rookie flyers.
Meanwhile,
one man was killed and two others were wounded Friday as Indian troops
resumed shelling along the Line of Control that divides
Kashmir
, officials said.
The
shelling in Pakistani Kashmir was reported from three southern
districts of Poonch, Kotli and Bhimbher, and in some areas the
bombardment was intense, AFP said.
"A
35-year-old man was killed and two others were seriously injured in
Mandhol village in Hajira sector due to indiscriminate shelling by
Indian troops," local police officer Raja Ghulam Sarwar told AFP.
Residents
said the shelling in Hajira, which lies in Poonch district, was the
heaviest in recent days. "People are staying indoors and all the
markets and shops are closed," one resident told AFP by
telephone.
Indian
police said Pakistani shelling had killed three villagers and
seriously wounded another 11 in the area of Poonch lying within Indian
Kashmir, AFP said.
Officials
from Kotli district in Pakistani Kashmir said Indian troops were using
long-range weapons to bombard the border area.
He
said six shells landed near Teenda village, outside the city of
Kotli
, hitting the area for the first time.
Four
people were killed and nine others were injured in Thursday's shelling
in three sectors of Kotli district, pushing the civilian death toll in
Pakistani Kashmir to 80 since artillery duels began in mid-May.
On
the Indian front, three Indian villagers were killed and 11 others
seriously wounded Friday when Pakistani soldiers unleashed a barrage
of artillery shells at the Kashmiri border region of Poonch, police
said.
"A
number of shells fell near the bus station in Challas village and
three people died instantly. There are a number of injured people
still lying there. Due to heavy shelling we cannot go near them,"
a police spokesman said.
"Eight
farmers were injured as another shell hit them while they were working
on their farms. Three others were injured in Dabbi village," he
said.
"Six
new villages have come under heavy shelling and Indian troops are
retaliating," the spokesman said.
The
latest deaths bring to 32 the number of Indians killed in the
artillery duels.
Officials
in
Pakistan
reported that Indian troops were also firing shells Friday in Poonch
and also in the southern districts of Kotli and Bhimbher, AFP said.
An
official told AFP that Indian troops were using long-range weapons,
noting that six shells landed near Teenda village, outside the city of
Kotli
, hitting the area for the first time.
Police
and officials say about 130,000 villagers living near the borders have
fled to safer neighboring districts to escape the daily artillery
battles.
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