Srinagar, India: An Indian Air Force plane crashed in the disputed area of Kashmir on Wednesday, killing two pilots and a civilian, a police official said, amid heightened tensions with neighbouring Pakistan.

India on Tuesday said it had launched an air strike inside Pakistan and that its warplanes killed ‘a very large number’ of fighters at a militant training camp, raising the risk of conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan denied there had been casualties, but has warned that it will respond to Indian aggression, the Reuters reported.

#SpotVisuals: Police on military aircraft crash in Jammu & Kashmir's Budgam, say, "Two bodies have been found at the crash site." pic.twitter.com/Tg2uFeJjdW

— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2019

Tensions have been elevated since a suicide car bombing by Pakistan-based militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police on Feb. 14, but the risk of conflict rose dramatically after India’s air strike on Tuesday.

The jet crashed in an open field near Garend Kalaan village in Budgam at 10:05am, news agency PTI said as it quoted officials.

The jet broke into two and caught fire immediately, the officials said, and added that one body was seen near the site crash.

The identity of the deceased could not be confirmed immediately, the officials said.

Pakistani jets violated the Indian airspace as it entered border areas of Nowshera sector in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, PTI said, as it quoted unnamed officials.

AIRPORTS IN J&K ON HGH ALERT

After the IAF fighter jet crash was reported, airports in Leh, Jammu, Srinagar and Pathankot were put on high alert.

Airspace has been suspended due to security reasons with many commercial flights put on hold.

The crash happened a day after Indian security forces Indian warplanes struck a JeM training camp in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province around 80 kilometres from the Line of Control and killed a large number of terrorists.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated after the IAF crossed the border to destroy terror camps.

Earlier, in the day Indian security forces killed two terrorists with links to Jaish-e-Mohammed in an encounter in Shopian.

A gunfight broken out between security forces and terrorists early Wednesday morning in Shopian district, reports www.indiatoday.in.

Three terrorists were believed to be involved in the encounter that began at 4:20am. The firing, however, stopped around 8:30am after which a search operation was launched in the area.

Five soldiers of the Indian Army were injured in the encounter in Shopian, ANI said, and added that two of these soldiers were taken to a military hospital for treatment and are in stable condition.