‘Had We Been There For 10 More Minutes…' Maharashtra Tourists Recall Narrow Escape In Pahalgam

News18

23-04-2025

The horrifying incident has sparked nationwide outrage and renewed fears over tourist safety in the Kashmir valley
For dozens of tourists from Maharashtra, a vacation to the scenic valleys of Kashmir turned into a nightmare on Tuesday when terrorists opened fire on travellers in Pahalgam, killing 26. Several families from Maharashtra, who were in or near the area during the attack, narrowly escaped what could have been a fatal encounter.
A group of 11 tourists from Amravati — including members of the Bodke, Deshmukh, Umekar, and Lande families — had been at the very site of the attack just minutes earlier. 'It's nothing short of a miracle. We had just left the place when the attack happened. Had we been there for even 10 more minutes, we wouldn't have made it back," one of the tourists said. The group is currently safe in Srinagar.
In a similar instance, more than 50 tourists from Pandharpur, who had planned to visit Pahalgam, decided to cancel their trip and return to Maharashtra after news of the attack broke. 'We were terrified. No one wanted to continue after that. We took it as Lord Vitthal's blessing and decided to come back," said one of the group members.
Sangli's Palande family also had a close shave. Dr Vitthal Palande, who was vacationing in Pahalgam with his family, is an avid sketch artist. He had spent several hours drawing at the very spot where the attack occurred. 'We left that location just three hours before the shooting began. It's haunting to think how close we were," he shared.
Kishori Waghulde, wife of Jalgaon-based journalist Tushar Waghulde, was in Pahalgam with a travel group from Mumbai. She recounted how the group was quickly assisted by local security forces and safely moved out. 'We panicked after hearing gunshots, but the response was swift. We're now heading to Katra," she said early Wednesday morning.
The terror attack, which took place around noon in Pahalgam, claimed the lives of 26 tourists. The assailants, disguised in police uniforms, reportedly asked tourists about their religion before shooting them. Among the victims were six people from Maharashtra — three from Dombivli (Atul Mone, Sanjay Lele, Hemant Joshi), two from Pune (Santosh Jagdale and Kaustubh Ganbote), and one from Panvel (Dilip Desale). Others from the state, including S Balachandru, Subodh Patil, and Shobhit Patel, sustained injuries.
The horrifying incident has sparked nationwide outrage and renewed fears over tourist safety in the Kashmir valley. Many travel agencies are now suspending tours to the region as a precaution.
First Published:
April 23, 2025, 14:37 IST