Armed men opened fire on a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing at least 26 people, according to Indian police, in one of the deadliest attacks there in recent times.
Police said multiple tourists received gunshot wounds in the “terror attack” on Tuesday while they were visiting Baisaran meadow, some 5km (3 miles) from the disputed region’s resort town of Pahalgam.
“This attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media.
Indian police told The Associated Press (AP) news agency that at least 26 people were killed and that no group had yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Police, however, blamed it on armed groups fighting against Indian rule. Security forces launched a hunt for the attackers while the wounded were rushed to hospitals.
Two senior police officers also told AP that at least four gunmen fired at dozens of tourists from close range. The officers said at least three dozen others were injured, many in serious condition.
Most of the tourists killed were Indian, the officers said to AP, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with departmental policy.
A tour guide in Pahalgam told the AFP news agency he approached the scene after hearing gunfire and helped transport some of the wounded away on horseback. Waheed, who gave only one name, said he saw several men lying dead on the ground. Another witness told AFP that the attackers were “clearly sparing women”.
Divashi Shorba, an Indian tourist, told Al Jazeera: “I’m travelling from Kolkata, and we are just 10 kilometres [about 6 miles] away from Pahalgam. It’s been four hours since we were stopped, and no one has any clear information.”
“Some authorities say we’ll be allowed through in an hour, others mention an official meeting, while some claim there’s an ongoing operation. Everyone is saying something different, but no one has any real answers,” he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, decried the “heinous act”, pledging that the attackers “will be brought to justice”.
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…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 22, 2025
United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday pledged his support for India.
“Deeply disturbing news out of Kashmir,” he said on social media. “The United States stands strong with India against Terrorism.”
The Indian government later said that Trump called Modi to offer his condolences.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “strongly condemned” the attack, his spokesperson said. He added that Guterres “stresses attacks against civilians are unacceptable under any circumstances”.
India’s Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah headed to Srinagar, the main city in Indian-administered Kashmir, where he said he would review the situation.
“We will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,” Shah wrote in a post on the X social media platform.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a key separatist leader in Kashmir, condemned what he described as a “cowardly attack on tourists” in a post on X. “Such violence is unacceptable and against the ethos of Kashmir, which welcomes visitors with love and warmth. [I] condemn it strongly.”
Kashmir has been under an intensified military crackdown since its semi-autonomous status was revoked by the Indian government about six years ago.
The attack follows violence earlier this month between security forces and suspected rebels, which resulted in six deaths, including four officers.
Attacks targeting tourists in Kashmir have been rare in recent years, the last one dating back to June, when fighters attacked a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims, plunging it into a deep gorge and killing at least nine people.
Between India and Pakistan
Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.
Many in Muslim-majority, Indian-administered Kashmir support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory with Pakistan or creating an independent country.
India insists the Kashmir uprising is Pakistan-sponsored. Pakistan denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle.
The Indian government, led by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), revoked Kashmir’s special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The same year, a report by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights accused India of human rights violations in Kashmir and called for a commission of inquiry into the allegations.
