26 people have been killed and several others injured after terrorists attacked tourists in the Pahalgam area of Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir.

Heavily armed terrorists walked out of the woods of Baisaran, a meadow atop a hill here, and surrounded a group of around 40 tourists. The 26 dead included two foreigners - from UAE and Nepal - and two locals, a high ranking official said without getting into details.

Eyewitnesses said that the tourists were ambushed by the terrorists who asked them about their religious identity before shooting them.

The attack took place at Baisaran where a group of tourists had gone visiting on Tuesday morning. According to an eyewitness, unidentified gunmen opened fire on the tourists from close range, resulting in injuries to several persons.

Eyewitnesses claimed that as soon as the bullets started flying, the handful of locals who earn a livelihood from tourism ran for safety, leaving the tourists behind. A tourist, whose husband was shot, said that the terrorists were identifying the tourists before shooting them.

"My husband was standing beside me. Then one person (terrorist) came and shot him. He (terrorist) shot him saying that maybe he is not a Muslim," a woman survivor told ABP News.

Omar, a local from the Pahalgam area, said that the people are distressed and have suffered losses.
 
"We are in distress right now... We have suffered losses. It is a loss for everyone. We are very sad for the people who lost their lives, were are also distressed, our guests are also distressed. This should not have happened," Omar said.
The authorities have also deployed a chopper into service for the evacuation of the injured. Some of the injured are said to be airlifted for treatment.
 
As soon as the news of the attack broke out, the roads and streets of Pahalgam wore a deserted look as the tourists, who had come in numbers, left the resort town to safer places. 
 
The incident comes when Kashmir is witnessing a surge in tourist arrivals after reeling under militancy for years. Also, the 38-day Amarnath pilgrimage is scheduled to begin on July 3.