Twenty-seven tourists were killed in an attack by suspected militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday, police officials, who declined to be identified, told Scroll.

More than six others were injured in the attack in the Baisaran area. Baisaran is located nearly four km from the tourist spot of Pahalgam in Anantnag district.

The details of the attack and casualties were not clear.

The police and the Indian Army launched a search operation to find the militants, the lieutenant governor’s office said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that the attack on tourists was an abomination and that the deaths were being ascertained. “Needless to say this attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” he added.

“The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt,” Abdullah said on social media. “No words of condemnation are enough.”

Muhammad Saleem, a shawl seller in Baisaran, told Scroll that the firing started at around 2.30 pm.

“I couldn’t see anything, I felt as if I had gone blind,” Saleem said. “We left our stuff there and ran for our lives. The firing continued for more than 45 minutes.”

Saleem added: “On an average there are more than 2,000 to 3,000 tourists in Baisaran on any given day. But today, there weren’t many tourists. Otherwise, the death toll would have been huge.”

Waheed Ahmad, president of the Baisaran Market Association, said that he helped send more than a dozen injured tourists to hospital on horses.

Manzoor Ahmad, who operates a pony ride service, told Scroll that the Army used to set up a camp in Baisaran from April to the winter months until three to four years ago.

“But not anymore,” he said. “There’s no security personnel deployed in Baisaran. Most of the security was deployed in the main Pahalgam tourist spot.”

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that he had briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the attack and held a meeting with the security officials. Shah said on social media that he will hold an urgent review meeting with all security agencies in Srinagar.

He added that those involved in the “dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences”.

Modi also said that those responsible for the attack “will not be spared”.

“Their evil agenda will never succeed,” the prime minister said on social media. “Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”

Rahul Gandhi, the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said that the attack was “extremely condemnable and heartbreaking”.

“Instead of making hollow claims of the situation being normal in Jammu and Kashmir, the government should now take accountability and take concrete steps so that such barbaric incidents do not happen in the future and innocent Indians do not lose their lives like this,” the Congress leader said on social media.

Opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti said that the violence was “unacceptable and must be denounced”.

“Historically, Kashmir has welcomed tourists warmly, making this rare incident deeply concerning,” the former chief minister said on social media. “A thorough investigation is needed to bring the perpetrators to justice and examine potential security lapses.”

Ensuring the safety of visitors was paramount and steps must be taken to prevent future attacks, Mufti added.