Relieved tourists arrive from J&K at the city airport on Thursday. Political parties greeted the tourists with flowers

MUMBAI: As ten flights from Srinagar touched down in Mumbai Thursday carrying hundreds of tourists who cut short their Kashmir holidays, the arrivals gate felt less like the return from a holiday and more like a collective exhale as out came sunburnt tourists in trekking shoes and puffer jackets, clutching phones, dragging bags and carrying scrambled nerves and stories they never thought they’d have to tell.

Evacuated after the terror attack in Pahalgam, some looked joyous and some broke down as they muttered versions of the same thing — “We’re just relieved to be back… we got lucky”. Anshika, a tourist, broke into a wide, exhausted grin: “I’ve never been this happy to be home.” Nearly 1,600 tourists are being assisted by the state govt for their early return, officials said.

Among them were members of a 37-person group tour that included Praful Shirke from Thane and his wife, companions of Panvel’s Dilip Desle who fell to the terrorists’ bullets. ‘I want to enjoy the horse ride, you come along later’ were Desle’s last words to his wife Usha. Later he was riding through the meadows when he was gunned down. “Usha was with us in the vehicle when the bullets were fired. We reached the spot and heard a few muffled shots, we thought it was firecrackers. By the time we reached the spot it was all over,” recounted Shirke. The group shielded Usha from the news. “We told her he is with the horse riders and they would return in the evening,” said Ghatkopar’s Sandesh Manjrekar. “But when someone asked her to describe his clothes, she broke down.” They accompanied her to the hospital to identify her husband’s body. “There were bodies lying around, women and children wailing. We had escaped death by a few minutes,” said Manjrekar.

Hundreds of tourists who were hurriedly evacuated after a brutal terror attack in Pahalgam landed in Mumbai Thursday. They muttered versions of the same thing — “We’re just relieved to be back… we got lucky”.
For some, it was a twist of fate that kept them safe. Prasad Bachhav and his family were supposed to visit Pahalgam the very afternoon of the attack. “But our driver’s relative passed away that morning. We had no vehicle, so we changed plans and visited some local sights instead,” he said.

Bengaluru-based Vijay Bhandari, his wife, and seven-year-old son dodged danger twice in one week. “The army pulled us out seconds before a landslide on April 18. Then by sheer luck, we weren’t in Pahalgam during the attack,” he said. The family spent the night at Srinagar airport. “The army gave us food, accommodation… we flew out 27 hours later.”
For many, the horror didn’t hit immediately. Megha Sapkal and her family were in a shikara in Srinagar when they heard the news. “We were supposed to go to Pahalgam the next day but changed our plan and went to Gulmarg instead. But by Thursday, the mood had changed with armed security everywhere and people leaving in groups.”
Sangeeta Banne and her friend were midway through a four-point horse ride when they heard gunshots and their guide got a frantic call warning of an attack. “All we understood was ‘firing, firing,'” Sangeeta recalled. Their driver acted fast, rushing them out as chaos unfolded around them. “There were injured people everywhere. We left just before ambulances and police arrived.” They spent the night in Pahalgam and left for Srinagar the next day. “But the people of Kashmir were very nice. Even in panic, they took care of us.”
The Gatke family from Dombivli, looking visibly relieved to be back, said, “We went to Kashmir on April 12 and were supposed to return on the 20th,” said Aniket Gatke. “But there was a cloudburst. We got stuck in Pahalgam for four days. And then came the attack.” The family was about three kms away from where the ambush happened.
The Gatkes managed to book their flight out but others hadn’t been as lucky. “The govt was trying to help arrange flights for those who didn’t have anything booked. There was a huge crowd of people who just rushed to the airport hoping something would work out. Some had no tickets but staying back felt scarier.”
The fear wasn’t just in Pahalgam. “We saw passengers who had just landed trying to catch the next flight back. That’s how shaken everyone was,” said Vaidehi, the teenage member of the family. “After the attack, all we could think of was, when can we go home?”
For Kritika, a Chennai-based tourist visiting Kashmir for the first time, the holiday shifted tone in an instant. “We were in Gulmarg when we heard about the attack on the news,” said Kritika before catching the connecting flight to Chennai. “Everything just went silent. It was calm, but you could feel the fear.” They cancelled plans to visit Pahalgam and stayed put in their resort. “Our driver promised to pick us up the next day, and he did.”
Anshika, who had flown in on April 19 with her family and baby daughter, was also in Gulmarg. “We had no idea until someone showed us a video. We were supposed to go there the next day,” she said. The family rushed back to their hotel and didn’t step out again. “We just kept watching the news and checking for flights. Thankfully, we got one today.” Wheeling her suitcase through the airport with her child in one arm, she said firmly, “Those who did this aren’t human. They should be punished. And the govt needs to ensure that tourists are better protected,” before breaking into a wide, exhausted grin. “I’ve never been this happy to be home.”
Chandni had a close call with the Baisaran Hills attack. She was about to head there when a wounded guide burst in—covered in dust and blood—shouting that people were being killed at the top. “He said he survived only because he answered a question about the Quran correctly,” she recalled. Chandni rushed to her houseboat. The next day, she visited the Tulip Gardens and Shankaracharya Mandir, sharing videos to show that despite the tragedy, the region still felt safe to her.
For Nidhi Chitre and her husband Nitin from Thane, who had flown to Kashmir to celebrate their anniversary, a last-minute change of plans likely saved their lives. “We had planned to visit the same spot where the attack happened, but our horse rider said it was 5 to 10 km away. We felt it was too far and dropped the idea,” she said. A few hours later, at Chandanwadi someone showed them a video of the incident. “That’s when we got scared. We rushed back to the hotel and sat there all night, in shock.”
Despite the fear and confusion, many returning passengers expressed gratitude for the swift support. “The Maharashtra govt booked our flights and deputy CM Eknath Shinde met us at the airport,” said Shirke. “We were well taken care of.”
(With inputs by Samya Khan and Aaliyah Berchman)