'Ran for our lives, didn’t look back': Maharashtra family recounts terror in Pahalgam attack in J&K

NEW DELHI: A family from Nagpur, Maharashtra, is grappling with the trauma of what they narrowly escaped a deadly terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that left 28 people dead in what officials call the worst civilian massacre in recent years.
"A difference of 20 minutes. That's what saved us," said the man, who had been visiting the scenic summer retreat with his wife and son. Speaking to ANI, he recalled the sheer panic that unfolded as they heard gunfire ring out behind them, just moments after they had left the site of the attack.
"This incident happened when we had just left the place of the incident. We could hear the sound of firing for a long time. We didn’t look back. Everyone was screaming, trying to get out. The exit gate was just four feet wide, and there were too many people. I was only thinking about getting my wife and child to safety,” he said.
His wife suffered a leg fracture in the chaos. From her hospital bed, she remembered the confusion, "People shouted, ‘firing ho rahi hai!’ We just ran. Children were crying, people were pushing, there was no space.”

Eyewitnesses described the scene of horror. Waheed, a local tour guide, told AFP he rushed to help after hearing the gunshots. “I saw men lying on the ground — lifeless. I helped carry the wounded on horseback,” he said.
Pahalgam, located about 90 kilometres from Srinagar, has long been a tourist favourite. This brazen attack has left the region and the nation shaken. Chief minister Omar Abdullah called it “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” and condemned the attackers as “inhuman.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who returned from Saudi Arabia after cutting short the trip, called the attack a “heinous act” and promised justice. He directed home minister Amit Shah to visit the site. Shah reached Srinagar later that evening and vowed, “We will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences.”
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Rahul Gandhi, speaking as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, called the killings “heartbreaking” and said, “The entire country is united against terrorism.” He also urged the government to take responsibility and ensure such attacks are not repeated.
As security forces comb through the valley for those behind the assault, the survivors and families of victims are left picking up the pieces—haunted by the horror, and in some cases, saved by a matter of minutes.