UPDATE - At least 25 dead in gunmen attack on tourists in Kashmir: Report

UPDATES AS DEATH TOLL RISES, CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Nusrat Sidiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - At least 25 people were killed after gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, Indian newspaper The Hindu reported, quoting sources.

Earlier, police sources told Anadolu that many people were feared dead and injured in the attack on the scenic destination of Pahalgam in southern Kashmir that draws thousands of visitors, including foreigners, every year.

Police and regional administration described it as one of the worst attacks in recent years.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said he briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the attack and held a meeting with the security officials. He is expected to visit the region.

Shah added that those involved in the attack will be brought to justice.

The Himalayan region, which is claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, has been caught in a vicious cycle of violence since the start of an anti-Indian insurgency in 1989. However, attacks on tourists and visitors have been rare.

Last June, an attack on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims, plunging it into a deep gorge and killing at least nine people.

India revoked Kashmir's special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.