TN tourists recount close call with terror attack in Pahalgam
A group of 40 people from state cancelled their trip to Kashmir on the 11th hour at Delhi as sirens blare across the nation on the targeted massacre
(L-R) Security amplified at Tirunelveli Railway station; students of Thakkar Bapa Vidyalaya during s candlelight vigil
CHENNAI: The preferred way for tourists to reach the site of the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 persons were shot dead on Tuesday, was by a pony. Chennai resident Jayashree, on holiday with her husband and child, was only five minutes away from the scene, seated on her pony, when she witnessed the commotion.
"Most beautiful spot. It will be like mini Switzerland, said our pony rider. We were very excited," Jayashree recalled to media persons on Wednesday. As her tour guide was waxing eloquent about the valley's allure, Jayashree's family saw a group of pony riders rushing towards them, making signals to turn back and run. "In a few seconds, I heard about five gunshots and within moments, the scene was like a stampede-like situation as everyone ran for cover."
Jayashree's pony rider acted swiftly and took the family downhill to a village and housed them there. "We felt like we were on the brink of death. It was a miraculous escape," she told media persons.
From Pahalgam, Jayashree and her family moved to the safety of a hotel in Srinagar with the help of their travel agent.
S Ramabathiran (70), a senior citizen from Tamil Nadu, was at the very scene of the terror attack on Monday. He recalls admiring the landscape of the Baisaran meadow, clicking pictures with family and within a day, the photographs became a reminder of "what could have been" rather than a pleasant memory.
Ramabathiran and his group were in Gulmarg, about 60 km from the attack site, when they heard the news, and when they reached Srinagar, it was chaos as the Army and police swarmed the region.
Meanwhile, about 40 tourists from Tamil Nadu who were in the region reached the Tamil Nadu house in New Delhi on Wednesday, where Tamil Nadu MP Tiruchy Siva met them and made arrangements for their travel to Tamil Nadu.
