At least 26 tourists were killed by at least four gunmen who opened fire at a resort and mowed down people at close range in a horrifying terror attack.
Police have said that dozens of tourists were killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir by the gunmen described as militants and there are said to be at least three dozen others injured, with many in serious condition.
Most of the tourists killed were Indian, the officers said. Bodies have been collected from Baisaran meadow, three miles from the disputed region’s resort town of Pahalgam.
Police described the incident as a terror attack and blamed militants fighting against Indian rule. “This attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media.
The attack appeared to be a major shift in the regional conflict in which tourists have largely been spared from violence. “We will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,” India’s home minister Amit Shah wrote on social media.
He later arrived in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, and convened a meeting with senior security officials. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on an official visit in Saudi Arabia, has been briefed.
Our live blog around the Kashmir shooting has ended
Gunmen shot and killed at least 26 tourists on Tuesday at a resort in Kashmir, police said.
Police blamed militants fighting against Indian rule for the attack in Baisaran meadow, some 5 kilometres (three miles) from the disputed region’s resort town of Pahalgam. At least three dozen people were wounded, many of them seriously, according to two senior police officers.
“This attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media.
The two officers said at least four militants fired at dozens of tourists from close range. Most of the killed tourists were Indian, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with departmental policy.
One female tourist, from Nagpur, said: “As we were preparing to depart from the entrance gate of the resort, which was only 4 to 5 feet wide, chaos erupted. A stampede ensued as people collapsed on top of one another in the midst of the firing.”
The woman, who fractured her leg during the commotion, added: “It was a terrifying moment. The sound of multiple gunshots filled the air, and the firing continued for an extended period of time. We witnessed a rush of people heading towards the exit gate, and pandemonium ensued,” recounted a male tourist who was with his son and other relatives.
“Approximately 4,000 to 5,000 tourists were present at the time of the incident, according to another female tourist, Simran Rupchandani.
“I was seated in an open field when the gunfire erupted, and panic ensued. I sustained an injury to my right arm before fleeing to safety,” shared a resident of Gujarat who is currently undergoing treatment at the local hospital.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was cutting short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and returning to New Delhi early Wednesday, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attack and stressed that “attacks against civilians are unacceptable under any circumstances,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s top religious cleric, said on social media that “such violence is unacceptable and against the ethos of Kashmir, which welcomes visitors with love and warmth.”
Vladimir Putin has offered his support to India over the terror attack in Kashmir where at least 26 people have died.
In a message to Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi he said: “This brutal crime has no justification whatsoever. We expect that its organisers and perpetrators will face a deserved punishment.
“I would like to reiterate our commitment to further increasing cooperation with Indian partners in fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Please convey words of sincere sympathy and support to the near and dear ones of the deceased as well as wishes for a speedy recovery of all injured.”
India’s interior minister Amit Shah briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi before rushing to the Kashmir region following the attack.
He wrote on X: “Anguished by the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. My thoughts are with the family members of the deceased.
“Those involved in this dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences. Briefed PM Shri @narendramodi Ji about the incident and held a meeting with the concerned officials via video conferencing. Will shortly leave for Srinagar to hold an urgent security review meeting with all the agencies.
Meanwhile Modi said on X: “I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.
“Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice… they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”
Eyewitnesses told of gunfire breaking out with dozens of people injured and killed.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed gratitude to Donald Trump for his support and reiterated India’s determination to hold those responsible for the horrific and terrible crime accountable.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has vehemently condemned the recent attack on tourists in Kashmir.
In a statement released by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres expressed his strong condemnation of the armed attack that took place on April 22nd in Jammu and Kashmir.
Guterres emphasized that such assaults on innocent people are never justified and called for those responsible to be held accountable for their actions.
“The Secretary-General stresses attacks against civilians are unacceptable under any circumstances,” Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
Additionally, the Saudi Crown Prince also denounced the Pahalgam terror incident and extended his sincere condolences for the tragic loss of innocent lives during a meeting with Prime Minister Modi in Jeddah, as reported by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
In a ‘X’ message, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the terrorist incident in Pahalgam.
“We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack against tourists in Pahalgam. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims, and we wish a speedy recovery for all the injured. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the people of India,” Scholz said.
A businessman, who was in the holiday resort in northern India to celebrate his wedding anniversary, has been named among the dead.,
Dinesh Mirania, from Raipur, is among the dozens who have tragically been killed in the terror attack which has been condemned by leaders from around the world.
At around 3pm local time, gunmen emerged from a dense pine forest and opened fire in the Baisaran Valley, a picturesque meadow in Pahalgam, a well-known tourist town located 90 kilometres south of Srinagar.
Also among the victims was a navy officer and Intelligence Bureau (IB) official from Hyderabad. Manish Ranjan, a native of Bihar, was fatally shot in front of his wife and children during the attack.
The IB officer, who was on a Leave Travel Concession (LTC) visit with his family, was stationed in Hyderabad at the time.
Narendra Modi is heading back to India after cutting short his trip to Saudi Arabia following the terror attack in Kashmir where dozens of people have been killed.
The Indian Prime Minister, who has condemned the slaughter of innocent tourists is now returning from Jeddah, said official sources.
Security has been beefed up across the northern region where the attack took place and political parties including Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), have called for a general strike and protests to condemn what happened.
According to eyewitnesses, gunmen opened fire at close range, hitting dozens of tourists. A survivor told PTI that her husband was shot in the head, and at least seven others were injured.
Donald Trump has called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to offer his support to help bring attackers to justice.
The United States leader strongly condemned the terror attack in Kashmir in a phone call with Modi said an Indian government spokesperson.
“President Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump @POTUS called PM @narendramodi and conveyed his deepest condolences at the loss of innocent lives in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
Trump “strongly condemned the terror attack and expressed full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack. India and the United States stand together in the fight against terror,” Jaiswal said.
Candlelight vigils are being held around the Kashmir Valley in the wake of the devastating attack, with victims reported to include tourists from Israel, Italy, Nepal, and the United Arab Emirates.
A shutdown has also been proposed for Wednesday by local political leaders, trade associations, and religious groups in sympathy with the victims of the attack at the well-known tourist destination, nicknamed locally as “mini-Switzerland”.
Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: “Deeply saddened by the terrorist attack that occurred today in India, which resulted in numerous victims.
“Italy sends its condolences to the families affected, the injured, the government and all the Indian people,”
An officer from the Navy and another from India’s Intelligence Bureau were among the 26 killed in the attack, it has emerged.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cut short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia following the incident, and is expected to visit the site tomorrow.
A high-ranking official has reportedly said that two foreigners are among the 28 who are now confirmed dead in the massacre at a tourist resort in Kashmir.
At around 3pm local time, gunmen emerged from a dense pine forest and opened fire in the Baisaran Valley, a picturesque meadow in Pahalgam, a well-known tourist town located 90 kilometres south of Srinagar.
Distressing footage shared on social media shows tourists who were shot dead while others scream and ask for help. The rescue operation has been made more difficult due to the remoteness of the area and the need for helicopters.
“My husband was shot in the head while seven others were also injured in the attack,” a woman told the news agency PTI. While another woman said: “I saw a few men lying on the ground looking like they were dead.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the attack on tourists a “heinous act” and said the attackers “will be brought to justice”.
Modi, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, spoke after slaughter of people at a tourist resort in the Kashmir region of India.
“I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones,” he wrote on X.
“I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected. Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice…they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”
A witness, who saw the bloodbath unfold as gunmen suddenly appeared at a tourist spot in Kashmir, sys they came out of the forest.
“I cannot say how many, but the militants came out of the forest near an open small meadow and started firing,” said the man, who provides ponies for tourists. “It was like a storm.”
He added that the gunmen “very clearly spared women and kept shooting at men”
Most of the tourists killed were Indian, officials have said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with departmental policy. Bodies have been collected from the Baisaran meadow, some three miles from the disputed region’s resort town of Pahalgam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act”, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.
Pakistan has quickly responded to the horrific attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir and said it had no involvement in it.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Pahalgam attack: “We have absolutely nothing to do with it. We don’t support terrorism anywhere in any form.”
Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.
Kashmir has seen a spate of targeted killings of Hindus, including immigrant workers from Indian states, after New Delhi ended the region’s semi-autonomy in 2019 and drastically curbed dissent, civil liberties and media freedoms.
Tensions have been simmering as India has intensified its counter-insurgency operations. But Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a key resistance politician and Kashmir’s top religious cleric, condemned what he described as a “cowardly attack on tourists”, writing on social media that “such violence is unacceptable and against the ethos of Kashmir which welcomes visitors with love and warmth”.
Vice President JD Vance’s trip to India has been rocked by the surprise attack by militants who have targeted a tourist resort.
Vance said in a post: ‘Usha and I extend our condolences to the victims of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India.
‘Over the past few days, we have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack.’
Vance is in the country to help build closer ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as talks over a trade deal progress.
He had visited the northwestern city of Jaipur tolday following his meeting with Modi as part of a four day trip to the country.
Kashmir has seen a spate of targeted killings of Hindus, including immigrant workers from Indian states, after New Delhi ended the region’s semi-autonomy in 2019 and drastically curbed dissent, civil liberties and media freedoms.
Tensions have been simmering as India has intensified its counter-insurgency operations.
The region, known for rolling Himalayan foothills, decorated houseboats and pristine meadows, has become a major domestic tourist destination, with millions of visitors enjoying a strange peace kept by security checkpoints, armoured vehicles and patrolling soldiers.
Although violence has ebbed in recent times in the Kashmir Valley, the heart of anti-India rebellion, fighting between government forces and rebels has largely shifted to remote areas of Jammu region, including Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua, where Indian troops have faced deadly attacks.
Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Islamabad denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.
Donald Trump said that the horrific attack was “deeply disturbing” and that the United States would stand alongside India in the fight against terrorism.
He wrote on Truth Social: “Deeply disturbing news out of Kashmir. The United States stands strong with India against Terrorism. We pray for the souls of those lost, and for the recovery of the injured.
“Prime Minister Modi, and the incredible people of India, have our full support and deepest sympathies.”
The attack coincided with the visit to India of US vice president JD Vance, who is on a largely personal four-day stop.
“Over the past few days, we have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack,” he wrote on social media.
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