The deaths were reported in areas near the heavily militarised border known as the Line of Control that separates the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan.

"Indian forces shelled civilian areas... resulting in the deaths of four people, including a two-year-old girl and injuring 12 others," police official Adeel Khan, based in Kotli district, told the AFP, adding that the shelling continued late into the night.

"In response, the Pakistan Army carried out a strong counterattack, targeting three Indian posts across the Line of Control (LoC)."

In Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a senior government official who asked not to be named confirmed the deaths in Kotli and added a fifth person was killed in Bagh district.

A security official based in Muzaffarabad who asked not to be named told AFP: "A mortar shell fired by Indian forces struck a civilian home in Bagh, resulting in the death of a young man and injuries to his two sisters."