A popular tourist destination in the mountainous region of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir became the scene of a horrific attack when gunmen opened fire on sightseers.
The massacre resulted in the deaths of at least 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali national. The attack unfolded in the Baisaran Valley, an area accessible only by foot or on horseback, leaving eyewitnesses traumatized by the brutality they witnessed.
Survivors recounted how the gunmen approached and fired upon the tourists at close range. Some reported that the male members of the group were specifically targeted and shot. Others told local media that the attackers accused some victims of supporting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The attack occurred in a meadow surrounded by mountainous ridges, several miles from any roads. Local resident Abdul Waheed described a chaotic scene of “people crying, screaming, just lying in the aftermath of the attack,” as he and others used ponies and makeshift cots to transport the injured.
One woman survivor recounted how her husband was shot in the head, while another, Asavari Jagdale, stated that the gunmen entered the tent where her family was hiding and accused them of supporting Prime Minister Modi before shooting her male relatives.
The attack highlights the volatile situation in Kashmir following the revocation of its constitutional autonomy by the Indian government in 2019.
They went for vacation, returned in coffins: Full list of victims of the Pahalgam terror attack
