A newlywed officer of the Indian Navy was among the tourists gunned down in a targeted terrorist attack in Pahalgam area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Tuesday.

Hailing from Karnal in Haryana, the officer, identified as Lt Cdr Vinay Narwal, was on his honeymoon following his marriage a few days ago, sources revealed.

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He was reportedly posted in Kochi.

Although the official number has not yet been released, 28 tourists are feared dead, with several others reported injured. Among the fatalities are two foreign nationals.

The terrorist outfit The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a post on X, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “I’m shocked beyond belief. This attack on our visitors is an abomination. The perpetrators are animals, inhuman, and worthy of contempt. No words of condemnation are enough. I send my sympathies to the families of the deceased. I’ve spoken to my colleague @sakinaitoo, and she has moved to the hospital to oversee arrangements for the injured. I’ll be flying back to Srinagar immediately.”

He added, “The death toll is still being ascertained, so I don’t want to get into those details. They will be officially conveyed as the situation becomes clearer. Needless to say, this attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”

Following the attack, Home Minister Amit Shah reached Srinagar in the evening to review the security situation.