MUZAFFARABAD, June 3: At least nine people were killed and six others wounded when a vehicle they were travelling in was hit by Indian shelling in Neelum valley of Azad Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said.

One of the shells directly hit a passenger jeep (AJKE-9111) near Lala village. The vehicle, carrying 21 people on board, was going to Kel from Muzaffarabad.

Nine passengers died on the spot while six others were injured, Mr Chauhan said.

Six of the dead were identified as Mohammad Siddique, Masood Ahmed, Manzoor Shah, Tanvir, Farooq and Sadiq while identity of the remaining three could not be ascertained.

The injured, who included two soldiers, were Khan Alam, Abdul Hameed, Qadeer, Sarfraz, Naseer and Tanvir. They were admitted to a military hospital in the area.

Neelum valley hugs the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC) and has suffered heavy casualties and damages in Indian shelling.