India hunts gunmen who massacred 26 in Kashmir tourist hotspot

TDT | Manama

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Indian security forces in Kashmir carried out a major manhunt Wednesday, a day after gunmen opened fire on tourists, slaughtering 26 people in the region's deadliest attack on civilians since 2000.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cut short a state visit to Saudi Arabia, decried the "heinous act" and pledged that the attackers "will be brought to justice".

A hospital list of the dead verified by police listed 26 dead in the attack -- all men, who were killed on Tuesday afternoon when gunmen burst out of forests at a popular tourist spot and raked crowds of visitors with automatic gunfire.

All the dead were listed as residents of India -- many from across the country -- except one living in neighbouring Nepal.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the attack had been "much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years".

No group has claimed responsibility, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989.

They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.