A close shave for 68-member TN group

Madurai: A group of 68 tourists from Tamil Nadu, including 38 from Madurai, who were on a five-day trip to Jammu and Kashmir, were just one stop away from Baisaran meadow, where the terror attacks took place, when they aborted their trip on the advice of security personnel.

"They were in Pahalgam on Tuesday at their second tourist spot of the day. They were next supposed to go to the place where the attack occurred," said E Siddharthan, joint secretary of Tamil Nadu Motor Parts Dealers' Association, on whose behalf the group travelled. "Thankfully, security forces stopped them on the way and escorted them back to their accommodation by a safe route," he said. "Since the group was split into 6-7 groups, we urgently reached out to all of them to check on their safety. They were unaware of what was happening," he added.

The group was to board a flight on Wednesday evening and reach the state by Thursday. Siddharthan said the group comprised 26 women from Madurai, Trichy, Tiruchengode, Vellore, and Tuticorin. Meanwhile, one of the tourists, S Balachandru of KK Nagar in Madurai, a heart patient, suffered a heart attack and was hospitalised at Army Military Hospital in Srinagar. "He got a stent and is in a stable condition. His condition is unrelated to the attack and his wife is staying with him there," said Siddharthan.