Indian and Pakistan troops swap intense artillery fire overnight

A resident inspects his house damaged by Pakistani artillery shelling, along the Line of Control, Indian-controlled Kashmir (Channi Anand/AP)

Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged heavy volleys of shells and gunfire across their frontier in Kashmir overnight, killing at least five civilians amid a growing military standoff that erupted following an attack on tourists in the India-controlled portion of the disputed region.

In Pakistan, an unusually intense night of artillery exchanges left at least four civilians dead and wounded 12 others in areas near the Line of Control that divides Kashmir, local police official Adeel Ahmad said.