A 50-year-old woman from Punjab's Ferozepur district has died from severe burn injuries sustained in a suspected Pakistani drone strike, days after the attack hit her home.
Sukhwinder Kaur, a resident of Khai Pheme Ki village, succumbed to her injuries in the early hours of May 13, five days after the drone incident that left her, her husband Lakhwinder Singh, and their son Jaswant Singh badly injured. The attack occurred on the night of May 9, when an explosive-laden drone reportedly fell on their house, triggering a massive blaze.
Following the attack, Sukhwinder and her husband were rushed to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana due to the extent of their burns. Their son remains under treatment in Ferozepur.
Videos from the scene, widely circulated on social media, reveal the scale of destruction — their home and vehicle were engulfed in flames as villagers rushed to extinguish the fire and rescue the family. The footage captured the panic and damage inflicted by the drone’s payload.
This incident is part of a broader wave of drone and missile attacks reportedly originating from Pakistan following India’s Operation Sindoor — a military offensive launched after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists.
According to reports, two civilians have died and at least 10 have been injured in Punjab since the strikes began. While India has not released official civilian casualty figures, unofficial counts suggest at least 20 civilian deaths and five military fatalities since the start of hostilities.
In another related tragedy, Govind, a migrant worker from Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, was killed in Bathinda district’s Akalia Kalan village after approaching what turned out to be wreckage from an unidentified fighter aircraft. Eyewitnesses said he was likely trying to record a video when the explosion occurred, injuring nine others in the process.
Ferozepur, being a border district, has witnessed a surge in drone activity in recent days, even after a ceasefire was declared on May 10. Neighboring districts including Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, and Kapurthala have also reported similar drone sightings.
On the night of May 12, sightings in parts of Amritsar, Jalandhar, and Hoshiarpur prompted the district administrations to enforce partial blackouts following instructions from the Indian Air Force. Similar security measures were reported in sections of the Jammu region, reflecting rising concerns over aerial incursions.