Missiles fired at air force station miss target, explode after hitting nearby hilltops

The Pathankot air force station had a narrow escape around noon when three missiles fired at the facility missed their target and exploded after hitting hilltops at Damtal, 3 km away.

The missiles created a 4-foot-deep crater, apart from killing a couple of cattle. Scores of army men and cops reached the site within minutes of the incident and started investigations.

As the news about the incident spread, fear gripped residents and the area was cordoned off by security men.

Commercial establishments were closed and residents ordered to shift to their homes as this garrison town came under a sustained attack of missiles and fighter drones. The attack stretched from last night this morning.

The city houses one of the country’s premier air force stations. An ammunition dump and the Mamoon cantonment, too, are located here.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, accompanied by officials of the district administration, drove to border areas, including Manwal, Kolti Jawahar and Dostpur this morning.

His visit has attracted criticism from some residents, many of whom questioned the wisdom of his visit when the entire place was in a state of heightened tension.