How a tourist group from Tamil Nadu had a miraculous escape from the Pahalgam terror attack

'I didn’t realise what was happening until I heard gunshots at a distance. That’s when it struck me that it was a terror attack. By then, my pony rider took us to a safe place and saved our lives', one of them said.

Chennai: A group of 68 tourists from Madurai in Tamil Nadu were to reach Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam, a picturesque lush green meadow nestled in dense pine forests, in just five minutes when they heard gun shots and people running for cover. Other tourists and locals screamed that terror had struck the area with innocent civilians falling prey to the bullets of terrorists, asking everyone to move to safety.

One of the tourists in the group developed symptoms of chest pain after hearing about the terror attack and was immediately rushed to a hospital for treatment. “If we had reached Baisaran Valley just a few minutes ago, there was no guarantee that I would have been talking to you today,” Subramanian, one of the tourists, said over the phone from Srinagar.

The entourage had a lovely time in the Kashmir Valley for four days and they arrived in Pahalgam on Tuesday morning. Their itinerary was to cover all eight tourist spots in the town, including the famous Pony Ride, and they were heading towards Baisaran Valley after their lunch when they had a miraculous escape from death.

“We were all excited to go to Baisaran Valley as it is known as Mini Switzerland. We were on our way when we were stopped by locals who asked us to go back. We were shocked and distraught when we got a chance to look at the pictures of the victims. I don’t know whether to feel happy for having escaped or feel sad for those who died,” Chidambaram said.

Jayasri from Chennai also had a similar tale to tell. Along with children, the family was enjoying the pristine beauty of Kashmir Valley when they were taken by their horse rider to safety.

“I didn’t realise what was happening until I heard gunshots at a distance. That’s when it struck me that it was a terror attack. By then, my pony rider took us to a safe place and saved our lives,” she said.

After having had a miraculous escape, the tourists from Madurai were moved to Srinagar by their travel agents and security personnel. “We started from Baisaran Valley at around 4 pm and reached Srinagar at 8 pm with tight security. Since we took a detour due to security concerns, it took an additional one hour to reach Srinagar,” Chidambaram said.

The tourists said they have booked tickets for Wednesday evening and would reach their home towns by Thursday. “Both the Jammu and Kashmir and Tamil Nadu governments reached out to us on time and enquired about our needs. We didn’t face any difficulties after the terror attack,” Subramaniam added.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government said three tourists from the state were injured and are being treated at a hospital in Anantnag district.