Multiple casualties are feared, with confirmed reports suggesting at least 26 tourists killed and 20 others injured after terrorists opened fire at Pahalgam in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. According to sources, some of them have sustained critical injuries, and the death toll is expected to go up. Terrorists lined up tourists, asked for their religion and name, and shot them point-blank. Though officials could not immediately confirm the casualties in the Pahalgam attack, locals said tourists from Odisha, Tamil Naidu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra were trekking to Baisaran ahead of the terror attack.
The incident happened in Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley at around 2.30 pm. The Baisaran valley is a famous tourist spot, popularly known as ‘mini Switzerland’ because of its long lush green meadows. A purported video of the attack site emerged, showing several people bleeding and lying motionless on the ground while women tourists were wailing and frantically looking for their near and dear ones.
The Chief Minister described the incident as “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”
