Tourist on zipline ride unknowingly captures Pahalgam terror attack, video goes viral

In the 53-second video, the tourist - a man identified as Rishi Bhatt- can be seen taking the ride and simultaneously video recording the same using a selfie stick.

At the start of the ride, the zipline operator could be heard saying "Allahhu Akbar" and the firing began immediately after that.

Unaware of the terror attack, the man can be seen enjoying his ride with a smile, even as gunshots are heard in the background, and some tourists on the ground could be seen running to escape death.

As the zipline ride finishes and the man moves closer to the ground, another tourist is seen falling, presumably after sustaining a bullet injury.

Speaking to India Today, Bhatt said that before he got on the zipline, his wife, son, and four others had already gone across. "When they were there, this person did not say 'Allahhu Akbar.' But when I was on the zipline, he said it thrice, and then the firing started."

After about 15–20 seconds, Bhatt realised that the firing had actually begun. "You can see in my video a man falling down. At that moment, I realised something was wrong. I stopped my zipline rope, jumped down from about 15 feet, and started running with my wife and son. I was only thinking about saving my life and my family's life," he said.

Earlier in the day, another video of tourists running and hiding behind a kiosk emerged.

The sound of gunfire can be heard in the distance.

Twenty-six people, including 23 Hindu male tourists, were killed by terrorists in Baisaran meadows, a popular destination in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, on April 22.

The terrorists- belonging to The Resistance Front (TRF), which is an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)- asked the victims to chant Islamic verses (kalma) and made them pull down their pants to be sure of their their non-Muslim religious identities (read circumcision)  before gunning them down before their families, including wives, children and daughters.

The massacre triggered nationwide outrage and escalated India-Pakistan tensions as New Delhi vowed to avenge the killings.

In an immediate response, India suspended the landmark Indus River water-sharing treaty and closed the Attari-Wagah road border, which acts as a lifeline of Indo-Pak trade and people-to-people ties, besides expelling diplomats, downsizing high commissions and issuing a 48-hour deadline to Pakistani visa holders present in India to leave.