At Least 24 Tourists Reported Killed by Gunmen in Kashmir

Asia Pacific|At Least 24 Tourists Reported Killed by Gunmen in Kashmir

Militants opened fire on a group of tourists in the Indian-controlled region of Kashmir on Tuesday, killing at least two dozen and injuring many more, according to local media reports.

The attack, in a picturesque district of pine-covered hills and valleys that is popular with Indian travelers, was the worst assault against civilians in the restive region in years, said Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, as the region is officially known.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned what he called a “terror attack” and said that “those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice.”

The attack occurred in the Baisaran Valley, just a few miles from the town of Pahalgam. The bodies of injured or dead tourists were being brought down from the hills on horseback and all-terrain vehicles, according to eyewitness accounts.

Binu Bhai, who was among the injured, sustained bullet wounds to both his arms and legs and was being treated at a hospital. He said he saw around a dozen dead bodies on the ground as gunmen fired indiscriminately at the tourists from behind bushes.

The Kashmir region, divided in 1947 between India and Pakistan, has been the site of separatist violence for decades, claiming thousands of lives.

The bloodshed has declined in recent years, after Mr. Modi revoked Kashmir’s special status and his government began directly administering the Muslim-majority region from New Delhi.

The Indian government has ruled Kashmir with a heavy hand, keeping order with huge security forces and for years suspending democracy in the region.

Domestic tourism to Kashmir has flourished as the Modi government has promoted visits to the region, part of an effort to project an image of stability there.