At least 26 tourists killed after gunmen open fire at Kashmir resort in ‘devastating’ terror attack: officials
At least 26 tourists killed after gunmen open fire at Kashmir resort in ‘devastating’ terror attack: officials
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Published April 22, 2025
Updated April 22, 2025, 8:38 p.m. ET89 Comments
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More than two dozen people were killed when four gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists at a popular resort town in Indian-controlled Kashmir Tuesday — in what officials said was a “terror attack” by anti-India rebels.
The deadly attack, which coincided with Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the region, unfolded around 3 p.m. local time when the shooters, described as militants, unleashed gunfire at dozens of tourists at close range at Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam, according to senior police officers.
At least 26 people were killed and more than three dozen others were injured, many of whom are in critical condition, police said.
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“I’m shocked beyond belief,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media.
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“This attack on our visitors is an abomination. The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman & worthy of contempt. No words of condemnation are enough. I send my sympathies to the families of the deceased.”
Abdulla said the death toll is still being assessed, while noting the fatal attack is “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”
Officials recovered at least 24 bodies in Baisaran meadows, located about three miles from Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot, with two others perishing while being transported for medical treatment.
Most of the tourists killed were Indian, according to police, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident, which remains under investigation as police and soldiers search for the attackers.
