31 lives lost in Pakistan, 15 in India: Officials 

Thirty-one people in Pakistan and 15 in India were left dead in cross-border shelling along Kashmir's Line of Control (LoC) on Wednesday, officials of both countries said Thursday.

Pakistan's ISPR confirmed the deaths to Dawn and termed New Delhi's actions "terrorism" and accused it of continuous ceasefire violations LoC.

Meanwhile, India's army says at least 15 civilians were killed by Pakistani shelling on its side of the line that divides the region disputed by the two nuclear-armed nations, a BBC report said. 

India launched missile strikes across the LoC early Wednesday. 

Despite a ramping up of rhetoric from the Indian side, diplomatic channels remained open, as Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed contact between the national security advisers of India and Pakistan, and US President Donald Trump urged both sides to stop the violence.

"I want to see it stop. And if I can do anything to help, I will. I will be there," Trump said.

The Pakistan military touted the downing of five Indian fighter jets as a major victory — a claim which was seemingly acknowledged when Indian officials admitted that at least three of their aircraft had "crashed" within their territory.

On Wednesday, as both countries continued to trade heavy artillery fire, authorities revealed the extent of the damage caused by Indian strikes on six locations — Ahmedpur East, Muridke, Sialkot and Shakkargarh in Punjab and Muzaffarabad and Kotli in Azad Kashmir.

The military's chief spokesperson said that at least 57 people had been injured in the attacks, while a hydropower project was also shelled by Indian forces.

Muzaffarabad Deputy Commissioner Mudasser Farooq said the intake structure of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP) was targeted the previous night, which damaged the intake gates and a hydraulic protection unit. An ambulance belonging to the project was also hit.

Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that as per the Geneva Conventions, it was prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless objects that were indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as drinking water supplies/installations and irrigation works.