A vehicle moves on a road during blackout amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, in Kutch district, Gujarat, Thursday, May 8, 2025.  Photo | PTI
India

Blackout in Gujarat border villages as drones fired

Amid the looming threat, a sweeping blackout plunged villages across Kutch and Banaskantha into darkness.

Dilip Singh Kshatriya

AHMEDABAD: Amid escalating tensions along the Gujarat border with Pakistan, six drones were spotted in the skies over Kutch on Thursday. According to sources, the Indian forces responded swiftly and shot down three, deepening concerns of cross-border attack.

Amid the looming threat, a sweeping blackout plunged villages across Kutch and Banaskantha into darkness. Lights snapped off in Naliya, Nakhatrana, and Khawda, while rural pockets of Vav, Suigam, and Mavsari, too, blacked out, amplifying the growing fears along the tense frontier.

Amid escalating tensions following Operation Sindoor, a drone explosion jolted Gujarat’s Kutch border on Thursday morning, putting security forces on high alert. The blast, which occurred before 6 am near a high-tension power line in Khawda in Bhuj taluka, has intensified concerns of cross-border threats.

Sources revealed that a large drone-like object had been hovering over the villages near the border since the wee hours, later drifting towards Khawda before crashing and exploding. The Air Force swiftly seized the wreckage for a detailed probe.

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