Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act” in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.
A tour guide in Pahalgam told AFP he reached the scene after hearing gunfire and had transported some of the wounded away on horseback.
Pahalgam lies 90 kilometres (55 miles) by road from the key city of Srinagar.
Other security sources and some Indian media reported late Tuesday that 26 people had died, an increase from the 24 that a senior local police officer had earlier told AFP.
They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.
Modi also cut short a state visit to Saudi Arabia over the attack, the foreign ministry said.
Males targeted
“They were clearly sparing women and kept shooting at men, sometimes single shot and sometimes many bullets. It was like a storm,“ said the man, who cares for horses that are popular with tourists in the area.
“They all started running around in panic”, he added.
“This attack on our visitors is an abomination,“ he added in a statement. “The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt.”
Holiday destination
India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting has eased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.
In recent years, the authorities have promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for winter skiing, and to escape the sweltering summer heat elsewhere in India.
In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under tight security in a bid to show that what officials call “normalcy and peace” were returning after a massive crackdown.
India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.
The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.
The deadliest recent attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 Indians were killed. That attack occurred on the eve of a visit by US president Bill Clinton.
Hence then, the article about gunmen kill dozens of civilians in kashmir tourist hotspot was published today ( ) and is available on Daily Sun ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Gunmen kill dozens of civilians in Kashmir tourist hotspot )
Also on site :