MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistani officials say Indian troops have opened fire across the Line of Control in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, killing three civilians and wounding six others as Indian and Pakistani troops continue to trade heavy fire.

Adnan Khurshid, a local administrator, said Monday that Indian troops targeted civilian population in three villages in Pakistani Kashmir. He said three civilians were wounded.

Waheed Khan, administrator of Neelum district, said an Indian shell exploded near a house in the Hatmuqam area, wounding three.

An Indian army spokesman, Col. Nitin Joshi, blamed Pakistani troops for "unprovoked" firing into the Indian side but said there were no casualties. Joshi said Indian soldiers retaliated with "massive fire assaults."

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and both claim the region in its entirety.