Team Herald
PANJIM: Three couples from Goa narrowly escaped the Pahalgam terror attack, having left the area just 15 minutes before the incident occurred.
Speaking to reporters at Mantralaya, Porvorim, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said, “While three couples from Goa were present in the area where the terror incident took place, they had departed 15 minutes prior to the attack.”
“In light of the Pahalgam terror attack, security measures have been intensified in Goa. Currently, 26 people, including the three couples from Goa, remain in Jammu and Kashmir, government is dedicated to ensuring their safe return,” he said.
“As Goa is a coastal and popular tourist destination, the police department maintains a state of alert at all times. Following the Jammu and Kashmir incident, security has been tightened,” Sawant said.
The Chief Minister has condemned the terror attack and expressed his deepest condolences to the victims’ families.
Meanwhile, tour operators in Goa are trying to bring all tourists back from Jammu and Kashmir.
According to one tour operator, some tourists were scheduled to visit Baisaran point after lunch, which was the location of the
attack.
Ahraz Mulla, co-founder of the Goa Adventure Club in Panjim, said, “One group of Goans was in the Pahalgam market, while another was in Sonamarg when the incident occurred. All tourists have been safely relocated to a hotel in Srinagar.”
“My company had organised a trip for 34 people to Pahalgam and 12 to Jammu,” Mulla added.
Due to a landslide, those in Jammu are stranded and unable to fly out due to fully booked flights.
A group that arrived in Pahalgam on April 17 was scheduled to return on April 24. Efforts are underway to facilitate their immediate return.
Daxal Naik, owner of Travel Bug Tours and Travels near Panjim, reported that a group of 26 people, whose visit to Jammu and Kashmir was arranged by his company, are still stranded.
Naik said, “All members have reached hotels in Srinagar and efforts are being made to bring them back as soon as possible. A group of tourists from Goa was having lunch at Pahalgam market when the attack took place, and they were scheduled to visit Baisaran point afterward.”
The group had departed from Goa on April 21 and was expected to return on April 26.
The unavailability of flight seats from Jammu and Kashmir has forced tour operators to accommodate tourists in hotels, while they work to secure the earliest possible flights for their return.