A soldier was killed and three others injured on Tuesday when two army patrols fired at each other by mistake in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Tuesday, police said.

"Two patrolling parties of Rashtriya Rifles fired at each other in an incident of mistaken identity in Noorpora (Tral) area of Pulwama district on Tuesday evening," a senior police officer said. "One soldier was killed and three others were injured in this incident."

Senior Rashtriya Rifles officials are trying to ascertain the exact circumstances that led to the shootout, the officer added.