26 tourists killed in deadly 'terror attack'

NEW DELHI — At least 26 tourists were killed and several others wounded on Tuesday after unknown gunmen fired at them in the restive India-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The attack took place in Pahalgam town, about 89 kilometers east of Srinagar city, the summer capital of the India-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The ambush was one of the deadliest attacks in the valley in recent years, the New Delhi-based news portal, The Print, quoted its sources in India's defense and security establishment as saying.

Police officers said gunmen opened fire at tourists from a pointblank range at Baisaran meadow.

Immediately after the incident, a police team rushed to the spot, along with army and paramilitary forces, to evacuate the wounded tourists and recover the bodies.

The injured were first brought to a government hospital in Pahalgam and then referred to Anantnag and Srinagar for further treatment.

The nationalities of the victims were not immediately known.

All the key leaders of the government have condemned the attack and condoled the loss of lives.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was currently on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, has strongly condemned the attack.

"I strongly condemn the terror attack. … Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest," Modi said in a statement.

He vowed to bring those behind this heinous act to justice, saying their evil agenda will never succeed.

According to the Times of India, The Resistance Front has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Tributes paid

On Wednesday, India's Home Minister Amit Shah attended a ceremony at a police control room in Srinagar, where the slain tourists were paid floral tributes. He also met the families of several victims. Shah vowed to "come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences".

The region's incumbent Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also condemned the attack and expressed sympathies to the families of the deceased in the deadly incident.

Police called it a "terror attack "and blamed those militants.

China "strongly condemns" the attack in the region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

"China firmly opposes terrorism of any form, and we express our condolences to the victims and our sincere sympathies to their families and the injured," Guo said at a regular news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

Tens of thousands of armed police and soldiers fanned out across the region and erected additional checkpoints. They searched cars and in some areas summoned former militants to police stations for questioning, reports said.

Pahalgam is a famous tourist destination. It is home to the roaring Lidder River, pine forests and lush green meadows, which attract thousands of tourists every year during summer.

Last June, militants attacked a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in the region's Reasi district. The bus skidded off the road and fell into a gorge, killing nine and wounding 33 others.

A guerilla war has been going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in the region since 1989.

Zhang Yunbi in Beijing contributed to this story.

Xinhua - Agencies