Karnataka families escape Pahalgam attack, dozens confirmed safe across Kashmir

Hundreds of Karnataka tourists in Kashmir have been confirmed safe after the Pahalgam terror attack. Many narrowly escaped danger, including families from Vijayapura, Chikkamagaluru, Bagalkote, and Uttara Kannada.

Bengaluru: Hundreds of families from Karnataka who travelled to Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir for summer vacation are confirmed safe. Following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, where three people from Karnataka lost their lives, Mallikarjun Shrigimath, a lawyer from Vijayapura, shared via Facebook Live that his family is safe. They were also on a trip to Kashmir and had left Pahalgam at 11am on Tuesday, three and a half hours before the attack.

The family has now reached Srinagar and is safe. Five members of a family from Rameshwar Bada, Chikkamagaluru, on a five-day trip to Kashmir, have also confirmed their safety. They were on horseback en route to Baisaran Valley when they heard about the attack, which occurred just 500 metres away. They immediately returned to their accommodation. The family includes Indiramma (mother), Leela (wife), and children Nakshatra and Sneha.

Meanwhile, T.M. Rajashekhar, Dean of Tegginamath Education College in Harapanahalli, along with his wife T.M. Umadevi, daughter Dr. Gaurika, and son-in-law Kotrabasayya, had travelled to Kashmir on April 18. While having Maggi outside their hotel at 2:20 p.m., they heard gunfire just 100 metres away. Kotrabasayya quickly reacted, instructing everyone to lie down. The family crawled and rolled their way to safety, covering 8 kilometres.

Thirteen tourists from Bagalkote, currently in Rajouri, are also safe. The group, which includes four couples and five children from Marwadi Galli, Bagalkote, had planned a trip to Pahalgam on April 22 but avoided the attack due to a landslide that blocked their path. They learnt of the incident through a phone call and are now safely in Rajouri, near Srinagar.

A group of 20 people, including BJP leader Birthi Rajesh Shetty from Brahmavara and his friends, are also safe. They were scheduled to visit Pahalgam on Wednesday but chose to stay back in Srinagar after the attack.

Additionally, thirty-two tourists from Uttara Kannada district, who travelled to Jammu and Kashmir on April 18 through Omi Travels (owned by Madhukeshwara Hegde of Sirsi), are safe. They were just one kilometre away from Baisaran meadow on the day of the attack. Nineteen tourists from Koppal, including Block Congress President Cotton Pasha and four families who traveled on April 19, are also confirmed safe.