A woman was killed when Pakistani troops fired across the border into India's northern state of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, Indian media reported.

Soldiers from the Pakistani army targeted Indian positions and villages in the Mendhar sector along the Line of Control (LoC) using automatic weapons and mortars, state-run broadcaster All India Radio said.

A 40-year-old woman was killed when a mortar fired from across the border exploded near her home, the report said, citing Indian defence sources.

Indian troops had retaliated strongly and the exchange of fire ceased in a couple of hours.

The LoC divides Kashmir into two regions, one administered by India and the other by Pakistan.

India and Pakistan routinely accuse each other's forces of violating a 2003 ceasefire accord. The cross-border firing often leads to the deaths of soldiers and civilians on either side.

The nuclear-capable South Asian neighbours have fought three wars, including two over Kashmir, which both countries claim in its entirety.