Felt like scenes from a movie, say lucky tourists who hit home base

FOLLOWING the Pahalgam terror attack, a total of 177 tourists from Karnataka were flown back from Jammu and Kashmir to Bengaluru on a special flight arranged by the state government, around Thursday noon.

- RISHITA KHANNA @ Bengaluru

Describing the aftermath, many tourists said they had travelled in groups and could not book tickets, which had soared to nearly Rs 80,000 after the terror attack. They thanked the government for stepping in, saying fear on the ground had made travel difficult.

Several said that minister Santosh Lad, who brought back the tourists, had personally visited Srinagar and also Gulmarg, where many tourists were stuck, assured them of safety, and helped coordinate their return.

Never again to dream destination
"Kashmir was my dream destination ever since my older sister went there almost 30 years ago for her honeymoon, but after what we experienced, we will never ever visit the valley," said Monica Satya, a Bengalurean who finally made a trip to Kashmir, with eight friends and family members.

Just days into the vacation, when Monica and her family were in Gulmarg, news of the terrorist attack nearby left them shaken.

"We were terrified. The internet was barely working, so we couldn't even check the flights or call anybody to check for us," she said.

Unsure of what to do, Monica called a friend in Bengaluru, who informed her that she had seen the news that minister Santosh Lad was expected to visit.