The attack appeared to be a major shift in the regional conflict in which tourists have largely been spared from violence.

At least five tourists were feared dead and eight people injured after suspected militants opened fire at them in India's Kashmir region on Tuesday (Apr 22), a police source told Reuters, in the worst such attack in the territory in nearly a year.

At least 20 people were feared killed after suspected militants opened fire on tourists in India's Jammu and Kashmir territory on Tuesday, three security sources said, the worst attack on civilians in the troubled Himalayan region for years.