Massive crater formed after explosion in field in Punjab's Gurdaspur

A massive crater was formed in an agricultural field on Saturday following an "explosion" in village Rajubela Chhichhran in Punjab's Gurdaspur district, amid security forces thwarting attacks by Pakistani drones, long-range weapons and other munitions along the Western front. In a similar incident, an unidentified object fell in a field between Khalyan and Sahni villages in Phagwara district early Saturday, leaving a crater.

No one was injured in the incidents.

Debris of unidentified projectiles was found in Beas in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Pathankot and Dubli village in Tarn Taran districts.


Authorities have asked people not to touch any part of any unidentified projectile lying on ground and to inform local police about it.

After villagers informed police, army authorities were called in to examine the debris. Police cordoned off the sites where the metal parts of unidentified objects were found early Saturday morning.




In Gurdaspur's village Rajubela Chhichhran, residents said a crater -- around 35 feet wide and 15 feet deep -- was formed following a loud blast in the early hours of Saturday.

"A big explosion took place at around 4:50 am. As a result, window panes of nearby houses were shattered," said a villager.

A police official said no one was hurt in the incident. However, there was damage to electrical wires in the incident.

After learning about the crater in the field, many curious villagers, including youngsters, reached the site and started clicking pictures on their mobile phones.

In Phagwara, an unidentified object fell in a field between Khalyan and Sahni villages in Phagwara district early Saturday, officials said.

Locals said an explosion-like sound was heard at 2.40 am from the fields of Major Singh at Khalyan village towards Sahni.

The impact of the unidentified object created a crater about 7-8 feet deep and 12-14 feet wide in the field, the officials said.

Some parts of the unidentified object were found lying scattered in the field.

Some wheat straw also caught fire after the projectile fell, which was put out by firemen, locals said.

No loss of life was reported in the incident.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Akshita Gupta said an advisory has been issued to keep all marketplaces, barring medical stores, closed in Phagwara city on Saturday.

Malls and high-rise commercial buildings in the rest of the district will also remain closed, officials said.

The security forces thwarted multiple drone attacks launched by Pakistan in Punjab's Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka and Amritsar districts on Friday evening.

In Ferozepur, three members of a family were injured on Friday night after a crashing projectile from a Pakistani drone destroyed by the Indian air defence system landed at their house at Khai Pheme Ke village, setting the structure and a car on fire.

India on Saturday said Pakistan continues with its execrable and wanton campaign of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, especially in the states of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.

Indian armed forces on Wednesday conducted precision strikes targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that had cross-border linkages.