Terror attack on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir leaves at least 20 dead, reports say

New Delhi — At least 20 tourists were killed and many others injured Tuesday when suspected militants opened fire on civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir, according to reports on Indian and international media. Many outlets, including the French news agency AFP, cited unnamed security officials who put the death toll as high as 24, but there was no immediate confirmation on casualties from authorities.

Two senior police officers, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press at least 20 bodies had been recovered after multiple gunmen fired at dozens of tourists from close range Tuesday. The officers said at least three dozen others were injured, with many in serious condition.  

The attack took place in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, a scenic destination dotted with meadows and glaciers that attracts hundreds of thousands of Indian and foreign tourists every summer. That tourist traffic has increased over the last year, as militant violence in the wider Kashmir region, which is disputed between India and neighboring Pakistan, has waned.

People injured in Tuesday’s attack were taken to nearby hospitals. Police, army and paramilitary forces launched a search operation to find those responsible for the attack.

“Our reports say that two-three militants appeared and opened indiscriminate fire at the tourists,” The Indian Express newspaper quoted a senior police officer as saying, without naming him.

“The death toll is still being ascertained so I don’t want to get into those details. They will be officially conveyed as the situation becomes clearer. Needless to say this attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, wrote in a post on social media.

Abdullah called the attack “shocking beyond belief” and said no words of condemnation could be sufficient to chastise those behind the shooting.

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged his support for India after the deadly attack.

“Deeply disturbing news out of Kashmir,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media. “The United States stands strong with India against Terrorism.”

The attack came as U.S. Vice President JD Vance, along with his wife Usha and their children, paid a largely personal visit to India. Vance met earlier in the week with India’s leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Usha Vance is a practicing Hindu whose parents are from India.

It was the worst attack in the conflict-hit region in nearly a year, and it came at a time when tourism in Kashmir was recovering. The last major attack happened in June 2024, when nine people were killed and 33 injured as militants attacked a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims.

Eight pilgrims were killed and 19 injured in a similar attack in the region in 2017, when militants attacked a bus carrying them back from the famous Amarnath Cave Temple in south Kashmir.

Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, but each nation has controlled its own portion of the mountainous region for decades.

The scenic Himalayan region has been hit regularly by militant violence since an armed anti-Indian insurgency began in 1989. The simmering conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives over more than three decades.

“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,” Prime Minister Modi said in a social media post. “Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice… they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah said he would visit the region to review security measures.

“Anguished by the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. My thoughts are with the family members of the deceased,” Shah said in a social media post, adding: “Those involved in this dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences.”