At least 13 civilians killed in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir

At least 13 civilians have been killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the past 12 hours, the region's disaster management authority said, as India and Pakistan exchanged fire following Islamabad's military action against India in the early hours of Saturday.

According to the authority in question, about 50 people were also injured.

India and Pakistan have accused each other of cross-border missile attacks on military targets, in what is considered the most serious escalation yet of the conflict between the two nuclear powers.

On Saturday, the Indian military accused Pakistan of attacking dozens of air bases and military headquarters in northern India, using long-range weapons, drones and fighter jets.

The allegations came hours after senior Pakistani officials said India had fired six surface-to-air missiles targeting three of Pakistan's most important military bases in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Shortly thereafter, Pakistani officials confirmed that they had launched a counterattack against India, under the military operation "Bunyan Ul Marsoos", a phrase from the Quran that roughly translates as "iron wall".