India thwarts Pak drone attacks at 26 sites including Srinagar airport; 32 terminals closed to civilian flights

Jammu: Pakistan has continued to attack India for the third consecutive night with drone strikes and shelling in multiple locations close to the border. Three members of a family were injured after debris from a Pakistani drone fell on a house at Ferozepur in Punjab.

Ferozepur Senior Superintendent of Police Bhupinder Singh said the crashing projectile from a Pakistani drone, destroyed by the army air defence system, landed in Village Khai Pheme Ke on a house, setting it on fire. Lakhwinder Singh and his wife, and brother Monu Singh, were rushed in an injured state to a private hospital, said police. Lakhwinder remains critical, reported PTI.

Quoting Defence sources, national media reported that Pakistani drones were sighted in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba, Akhnoor, Punjab's Pathankot and Rajasthan's Jaisalmer on Friday night. India’s air defence personnel reportedly intercepted Pakistani drones in the territory. PTI reported that drone attacks on Srinagar airport and south Kashmir's Awantipora air base were thwarted late on Friday.

32 Airports shut
Thirty-two airports across northern and western parts of the country, including Srinagar and Amritsar, have been closed for civilian flight operations till May 15, according to the civil aviation regulator.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and relevant aviation authorities have issued a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) announcing the temporary closure of 32 airports across northern and western India for all civil flight operations. The closure will be effective from "May 9, 2025, to May 14, 2025 (which corresponds to 0529 IST on 15th May 2025), due to operational reasons," DGCA said in a release.

The airports include Adhampur, Ambala, Amritsar, Awantipur, Bathinda, Bhuj, Bikaner, Chandigarh, Halwara, Hindon, and Jammu. Other airports are Jaisalmer, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Kandla, Kangra (Gaggal), Keshod, Kishangarh, Kullu Manali (Bhuntar), Leh, Ludhiana, Mundra, Naliya, Pathankot, Patiala, Porbandar, Rajkot (Hirasar), Sarsawa, Shimla, Srinagar, Thoise and Uttarlai, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Continuing drone strikes
Three members of a family were injured in a strike of an armed drone launched by Pakistan in Punjab's Ferzopur. According to defence sources, the injured have been provided medical assistance, and the area has been sanitised by security forces. 

The Defence Sources confirmed that drones were sighted at 26 locations ranging from Baramulla in the North to Bhuj in the South, along both the International Border and the Line of Control with Pakistan. Suspected armed drones posing potential threats to civilian and military targets are also identified among them.

Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozepur , Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala are among the 26 locations where Pakistan drones intruded.

In the visuals shared by ANI, explosions were heard in Samba as Indian forces destroyed the Pakistani drones. Apart from Jammu, sirens and explosions are reportedly heard in Punjab’s Ferozepur as Pakistan resumed the attack on India. A complete black out is also enforced in Ferozepur and several places in Punjab close to India-Pak border. 

According to a PTI report, blasts were heard and sirens sounded in the Jammu region as the city plunged into darkness, officials said on Friday.

In Srinagar, mosque loudspeakers were used to convey to locals to switch off their lights as a precautionary measure.

"Intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery, can now be heard from where I am," Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X.

He also posted a picture of the city in darkness, captioning the post as, "Blackout in Jammu now. Sirens can be heard across the city."

He said in another post, "It's my earnest appeal to everyone in and around Jammu please stay off the streets, stay at home or at the nearest place you can comfortably stay at for the next few hours. Ignore rumours, don't spread unsubstantiated or unverified stories and we will get through this together."

In Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer, multiple threats from Pakistan were intercepted by the forces on Friday night.The threat prompted forces to issue a red alert and blackouts in several border districts, creating panic among residents.

The drones, suspected to have been launched from Pakistan, were destroyed mid-air by India's air defence systems, sources said. Soon after the attacks, sirens rang out in Pokaran, and a complete blackout was imposed in the region.Following the attack, the blackout in Jodhpur, originally scheduled to begin at midnight, was implemented immediately.

Blackouts were enforced in Barmer, Sriganganagar, and Phalodi also. On May 9, Pakistan allegedly targeted five military bases in Rajasthan.

As the tensions escalated with Pakistan, Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi summoned a meeting of all three service chiefs at his official residence on Friday evening. Details of  the crucial meetings are awaited. 

Explosions heard in Punjab’s Pathankot, Ferzapur
Authorities have clamped a blackout in several places of Punjab after sounds resembling that of blasts were heard in Pathankot and Ferozepur on Friday evening. Air raid sirens wailed in Ferozepur, Pathankot, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur districts sending people into tizzy. According to a PTI report, blackout was enforced in Ferozepur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Fazilka, Muktsar, Sangrur, Ambala,.

In Pathankot, Ferozepur, locals claimed that they heard sound of explosions while smiliar reports also came in from Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran's Patti area alothough there was no official confirmation about what caused the sound.The authorities have asked the people to remain indoor and keep all lights switched off. 

"Keep lights switched off. Keep the lights of mobile phones, cameras and inverter sets switched off. Cover windows with curtains. Cooperate with the district administration. We are for here your safety," and official announcement was sounded in the district.

In Hoshiarpur, the district administration enforced the blackout at 8.15 pm with Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain urging people to stay indoors and not to panic.