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Shooting in northern India kills 27 tourists, injures many others

The incident occurred in Pahalgam, a popular destination for tourists in the region

NEW DELHI, April 22. /TASS/. At least 27 tourists have been killed and around two dozen people were injured in a shooting in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India, the News18 TV channel reported, citing sources in the Defense Ministry and security agencies.

According to the channel, at least two foreign nationals are among the dead. Authorities have yet to confirm the official number of casualties. "This attack is the biggest one targeting civilians that we have seen in recent years," regional head Omar Abdullah noted.

The incident occurred in Pahalgam, a popular destination for tourists in the region. Unidentified armed men opened fire on a group of visitors hiking the trail in the Baisaran Valley. Law enforcement officers and medics rushed to the scene following the gunfire. An investigation is underway, and local officials have labeled the incident a terrorist attack.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently on a visit to Saudi Arabia, held a phone conversation with Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah and directed him to take all necessary measures and visit the site. "Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger," Modi wrote on his X page.

"Those involved in this dastardly terrorist act will not go unpunished. We will firmly and severely penalize the culprits," the interior minister posted on X, adding that he was heading to Jammu and Kashmir to hold an "urgent security meeting with all agencies" involved.

Eyewitnesses reported that several individuals in military uniforms carried out the attack and managed to flee the scene. Indian security forces have cordoned off the area, and a manhunt for the assailants is underway. The Resistance Front group has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

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