At least 26 people were killed and 17 others wounded when gunmen opened fire on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir, the worst assault in years targeting civilians in a restive region that has seen an anti-India rebellion for more than three decades.

In the aftermath of the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the first group of stranded tourists from Maharashtra arrived safely in Mumbai in the early hours of Thursday, as per PTI reports.

It was the deadliest attack against civilians in years in Kashmir, a region claimed by both India and Pakistan that has been racked by violence for decades.