Tourists are desperately trying to flee Pahalgam in Kashmir after gunmen killed 26 people in the region’s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000.

India’s aviation regulator today said there is unexpected demand from travellers looking to return home following the attack. 

They also requested airlines to consider waiving any cancellation or rescheduling fees in light of the tragedy.

Gunmen burst out of forests at a popular tourist spot in India and opened fire on the crowds of visitors, killing 25 Indian residents and one person living in Nepal.

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a picturesque town in the Himalayas often described as the ‘Switzerland of India’.

There is a shutdown across the region, where schools, business and shops have been closed. 

Four flights from nearby Srinagar have already been specially arranged – two to Delhi and two to Mumbai – with additional ones on standby. 

Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu has already warned airline operators against surge pricing.

Earlier today security forces carried out a major manhunt, with military helicopters searching the forested mountain flanks for signs of the attackers.

‘The search operation is currently in progress, with all efforts focused on bringing the attackers to justice,’ the Indian army said in a statement. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cut short a state visit to Saudi Arabia following the attack, decried the ‘heinous act’ and pledged that the attackers ‘will be brought to justice’. 

‘Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,’ he added. 

The attack coincided with the visit of US Vice President JD Vance, who met Modi in New Delhi for talks before visiting the Taj Mahal early today.

Indian Army soldiers patrol in armored vehicle near Pahalgam in south Kashmir

Earlier today security forces carried out a major manhunt, with military helicopters searching the forested mountain flanks for signs of the attackers

‘The search operation is currently in progress, with all efforts focused on bringing the attackers to justice,’ the Indian army said in a statement

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the attack had been ‘much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years’.

No group has claimed responsibility, but rebels in the region have waged an insurgency since 1989.

They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.

‘This attack on our visitors is an abomination,’ Abdullah said in a statement after the attack.

‘The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt.’

Tour guide Waheed said he reached the scene hearing gunfire and had transported some of the wounded away on horseback.

Another witness told AFP that the attackers were ‘clearly sparing women’. 

One survivor said tourists had assumed the attackers, who were in uniform, were policemen.

‘They were there at least for 20 minutes, undeterred, moving around and opening fire,’ they told the Indian Express newspaper.

‘It seemed like an eternity.’ 

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the attack had been ‘much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years’

Many of the bodies of the victims were brought to Srinagar on Wednesday by a fleet of ambulances

The killings came a day after Modi met Vance in New Delhi. The most recent deadly attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 Indians were killed. 

It occurred on the eve of a visit by US president Bill Clinton.

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JD Vance poses in front of the Taj Mahal with wife and children during India tour

US President Donald Trump called Modi to quickly offer ‘full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack’.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘The horrific terrorist attack in Kashmir is utterly devastating.’ 

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting has eased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.

In recent years, the authorities have promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing in winter, and to escape the sweltering summer heat elsewhere in India.

Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, mostly domestic visitors, though industry figures have suggested the attack will significantly curb numbers in the coming months.

Aijaz Ali, a travel operator from Srinagar, said future visitors had already cancelled their packages a month in advance.

He told Indian outlet the Daily Excelsior: ‘We know tourists have by and large been safe in Kashmir but with such an incident happening here, one cannot expect them to stay back.

‘All the good work over the past several years has gone down the drain. It will take a lot of convincing to bring tourists again to Kashmir.’ 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cut short a state visit to Saudi Arabia following the attack, decried the ‘heinous act’ and pledged that the attackers ‘will be brought to justice’

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting has eased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019

The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.

Analyst Michael Kugelman argued that the attack posed a ‘very serious risk of a new crisis between India and Pakistan, and probably the most serious risk of a crisis since the brief military conflict that happened in 2019’.

India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.

Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.