At least 26 people have been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir when gunmen opened fire on tourists, according to local media and police, with authorities calling it the worst attack on civilians in years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the "heinous act" on Tuesday at the summer retreat of Pahalgam, pledging that the attackers "will be brought to justice".

The attack targeted tourists in Pahalgam, which lies about 90 kilometres (55 miles) by road from the key city of Srinagar.

The senior police officer in the region, speaking on condition of anonymity, described a massacre in which at least 26 people had been killed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but rebels in the Muslim-majority 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.

"Some tourists have been admitted to the local hospital in an injured condition."

A visited region with history

Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures, the majority of whom were domestic visitors.

In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under tight security in a bid to show that what officials call "normalcy and peace" were returning after a massive crackdown following New Delhi's revocation of the region's limited autonomy in 2019.

Fighting has decreased since 2019, when Modi's government imposed direct control of the territory from New Delhi after cancelling its partial autonomy.

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory.

India regularly blames Pakistan for backing the fighters.

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

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Source: TRT