JAISALMER, Nov 9 – Panic gripped residents of villages near the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district on Saturday after a portion of a missile landed close to Bhadariya village during a routine defence training exercise, officials said.
Defence sources said the missile, fired as part of a scheduled military drill, deviated from its intended trajectory and fell about 500 metres from Bhadariya village in the Lathi area, outside the range limits. The impact produced a loud explosion that was heard several kilometres away, prompting fear among villagers in the vicinity.
“It fell within the field firing range. It was during the routine exercise,” said Lathi Station House Officer (SHO) Rajendra Kumar.
Soon after the incident, Army and Air Force teams, along with local police, reached the site and cordoned off the area as a precaution. The fragment of the missile was recovered and transported back to the Pokhran firing range in a pickup vehicle, officials confirmed.
Authorities clarified that no casualties or damage to property were reported. The matter is being reviewed as part of standard post-exercise assessment procedures.
