One army trooper was killed and another wounded in a powerful blast in the Balnoi sector of Poonch district, Kashmir on Saturday, a defence spokesman said.

He said an improvised explosive device blast hit the foot patrol on Saturday evening.

“Two jawans were injured in the blast. One critically injured jawan, identified as Akshaya Godbole, succumbed, while the other soldier, Shubam Khadatkar, was shifted to hospital for treatment," he said.

An operation was launched to sanitise the area.