Amarnath massacre: Bodies, injured yatris come home to Surat

The bodies of seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir were today brought to Gujarat's Surat airport along with the injured and their family members in an IAF plane.


An alert was issued in Gujarat late last night after the news came in of the terror attack, in which majority of the victims were from the state.


Chief Minister Vijay Rupani condemned the attack and said the country will never bow down to such an ideology.


Terrorists last night killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2001.


The Gujarat government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the kin of each of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh each to the injured. Chief Minister Rupani and Patel will travel to Surat to receive the bodies and the injured people.


"I am leaving for Surat along with Nitin Patel and Jitu Vaghani (state BJP president)," Rupani said. "Medical treatment will be provided to those who need it. The government will bear the cost of treatment of the injured," he said.


Rupani termed the attack as an act of cowardly people. "We condemn the terror attack. This is an act of cowardly people. India will never bow down to such ideology," he said.


Image: J-K CM Mehbooba Mufti lays a wreath on the coffin of one of the victims.