At least 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, located in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, on Tuesday. Among the deceased, two individuals — Santosh Jagdale and Kaustubh Ganbote — were from Pune. Meanwhile, a group of 68 tourists from Pune had a narrow escape during the attack. In a video message, the group has appealed to the Maharashtra government to facilitate their safe return home.
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"Our group of 68 tourists has come to Kashmir. We were only 3–4 kilometres away from Pahalgam, where the terrorist attack took place. As soon as we came to know of the attack, we changed our course and came to Srinagar. There are a lot of children and elderly tourists with us. The situation is quite bleak. Entire Kashmir is closed. We have no facilities to return home. We urge the Maharashtra government to help us in reaching home safely," one of the tourists said.
"We spoke with Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol. His response was positive. After speaking with him, we feel that we will be taken to Pune as soon as possible. However, the situation here is very tense. Children and women are scared. We trust the Indian Army and the government. We won't take any steps to leave for Pune ourselves and risk our lives. Hence, we request the government to take us home immediately," another tourist said.
Fadnavis speaks to kin of Maharashtra victims of J-K terror attack, assures all help
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has spoken to the families of people from the state who were targeted by terrorists and assured all help to them.
Also, the Maharashtra government has requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to arrange a special flight to bring back the bodies of the persons from the state killed in the terror attack, a release from Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's office said.
"Five tourists from the state have died in the attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. Their relatives are also waiting for their return," a release from Shinde's office said. "After getting the list (of Maharashtra tourists) from the Jammu and Kashmir administration, arrangements will be made to bring everyone back soon," it added.
