A mystery aircraft has crashed into a school in Indian-administered Kashmir, just hours after India launched missile strikes on Pakistan, sparking fresh fears that the region is spiralling into chaos.
The dramatic incident happened in the early hours of Wednesday near the main city, with terrified locals in Wuyan village, in the Pampore area, waking to the sound of explosions and a fire lighting up the sky.
“There was a huge fire in the sky. Then we heard several blasts also,” said Mohammed Yousuf Dar, a shaken resident who witnessed the crash.
Firefighters battled for hours to bring the blaze under control as thick smoke filled the air. The area was quickly sealed off by police and military teams, as speculation swirled over what exactly had happened.
An Indian official later confirmed to Reuters that a fighter jet had crashed in Indian-administered Kashmir and the pilot had been rushed to hospital. It is not yet known if this is the same aircraft that crashed into the school.
Adding to the confusion, a Pakistani official earlier told The Guardian that at least two Indian Air Force jets had been shot down, though this claim has not been independently verified.
The crash comes amid mounting fears that the latest escalation between the two nuclear-armed rivals could tip the region into further violence.