Pahalgam terror attack: 68-member tourist group from Tamil Nadu safe, to return tomorrow

MADURAI: A group of 68 tourists from Tamil Nadu, including 30 persons from Madurai, who were on a five-day trip to Jammu and Kashmir, remained safe on Wednesday and are set to board a flight on Wednesday evening and reach the state by Thursday. The group was away from the site where the Pahalgam terror attack happened.
Siddharthan, vice president, Tamil Nadu Motor Parts Dealers’ Association told reporters in Madurai on Wednesday that a group of 68 tourists, including 26 women, from across the state had gone to Jammu and Kashmir on behalf of their association and all were safe.
“The group of tourists reached Kashmir on Saturday and they were set to return by flight today (Wednesday) evening. Tuesday was their fourth day of the trip. They were sightseeing at their second tourist point of the day when the attack in Pahalgam happened. Pahalgam was set to be their next destination,” he said.
He further shared that he and other association members were all worried when they heard about news reports of the Pahalgam attack.
“Since the 68-member group was split into 6-7 groups, we urgently reached out to all of them to check on their safety. They were actually unaware of what was happening. However, thankfully, security forces intervened and escorted them back to their accomodation in a safe route,” added Siddharthan.
Meanwhile, one of the tourists, Chandru of Madurai, a heart ailment patient, suffered a heart attack and was hospitalised. “He got a stent and was in a stable condition. His condition is unrelated to the attack. We spoke to him today (Wednesday) and he is fine. If no change in flight plans, all the tourists are departing as per schedule on an evening flight and will reach Chennai on Thursday morning, tourists from Madurai will return on Vaigai Express,” added Siddharthan. He further noted that they were in constant touch over the phone and everyone is expected to make a safe return.