The beauty of Pahalgam turned into a nightmare for tourists on Wednesday when terrorists opened fire without warning, leaving many people dead and many others injured.
Survivors, still shaken, spoke to Rising Kashmir, recalling the terrifying moments that will haunt them forever.
“We had just reached the spot and were busy clicking family photos. Suddenly, we heard a burst of gunfire. Before we could understand what was happening, we saw people collapsing in front of our eyes. We dropped to the ground in fear,” said Pushpa Behan, a tourist from Gujarat, her voice trembling with emotion.
She said the group left everything behind — bags, belongings, even their shoes — as they ran for their lives. “We didn’t think about anything, we just ran barefoot. We were so terrified, it felt like the world had ended right there,” she said.
The attack left the group broken and confused. “Some of our friends are still out of our contact. We have no idea where they are, and the only thing we are holding onto is faith — faith that God will protect them,” she whispered.
Another tourist, fighting tears, shared how their large group had split just moments before the attack. “Some of us had climbed higher, while others came back for lunch. None of us imagined that in the blink of an eye, everything would change. Our families are waiting for our call. We don’t know what to say — we don’t even know what is happening.”
Other witnesses recalled seeing two armed men in long coats calmly approach and fire at a female tourist without saying a single word.
Vaghela Asmitaben , another tourist from Gujarat, also recalled the terrifying moment. “We saw two armed men firing on people. They came near Pahalgam’s Mini Switzerland gate. This happened around 2:30 PM. As we reached the gate, the terrorists were too close. We saw people were hit saw bullets. We left our belongings there and ran,” she said.
She added, “I saw two people showering bullets. Two people from our group, who had bullet wounds, are still missing. We are heading towards Srinagar. We are frightened.”
This is the developing story it will be updated when more details will become available.
