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.

Terrorists opened fire at a meadow near Kashmir's Pahalgam town on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.

The region's strikingly beautiful mountains, valleys and grand Mughal-era gardens had drawn record tourist arrivals stemming from five years of relative safety.