Amid corpses, the terrorists were laughing and clicking photographs of each other, 54-year-old Jennifer Nathaniel, who lost her husband Sushil Nathaniel in the Pahalgam attack, recounted here on Thursday, the tragedy striking just two days after the pomp and gaiety of Easter.
At Baisaran, a popular tourist spot in South Kashmir's Pahalgam known as "Mini Switzerland," terrorists launched an attack on Tuesday killing at least 26 people and wounding several others.
Most of the victims were tourists, including Sushil Nathaniel (58), a manager with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) posted in Alirajpur, about 200 kilometres from Indore.
"Before shooting him, the terrorists asked my husband to recite the 'kalma'. He told them he was a Christian and did not know how to recite it. He told the truth," a distraught Jennifer said when Indore mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav arrived at her home to express grief.
She said she lost consciousness amid the attack and when she regained consciousness, evening had brought with it severe chill and a part of her body had gone numb.
"When I managed to turn my neck, I spotted my husband lying face down, unresponsive," she said tearfully.
While her daughter Akanksha (35) was shot in the leg, Jennifer and son Austin (25) managed to remain unharmed through the carnage.
"I also saw two attackers taking photos of each other amid corpses. One was wearing jeans and T-shirt, while one was in traditional Kashmiri attire (pheran). Three attackers were moving towards me after perhaps seeing movement on my part, but they melted away when the whirring of a helicopter was heard," she recounted.
The sound of gunfire kept ringing in the ears along with the cacophony of people running helter-skelter to save their lives, Jennifer said trying to piece together the nightmarish moments of the attack.
"I saw many dead bodies. Even now, whenever I close my eyes, those scenes flash before me," she said with a tremble in her voice.
At Baisaran, a popular tourist spot in South Kashmir's Pahalgam known as "Mini Switzerland," terrorists launched an attack on Tuesday killing at least 26 people and wounding several others.
Most of the victims were tourists, including Sushil Nathaniel (58), a manager with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) posted in Alirajpur, about 200 kilometres from Indore.
"Before shooting him, the terrorists asked my husband to recite the 'kalma'. He told them he was a Christian and did not know how to recite it. He told the truth," a distraught Jennifer said when Indore mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav arrived at her home to express grief.
She said she lost consciousness amid the attack and when she regained consciousness, evening had brought with it severe chill and a part of her body had gone numb.
"When I managed to turn my neck, I spotted my husband lying face down, unresponsive," she said tearfully.
While her daughter Akanksha (35) was shot in the leg, Jennifer and son Austin (25) managed to remain unharmed through the carnage.
"I also saw two attackers taking photos of each other amid corpses. One was wearing jeans and T-shirt, while one was in traditional Kashmiri attire (pheran). Three attackers were moving towards me after perhaps seeing movement on my part, but they melted away when the whirring of a helicopter was heard," she recounted.
The sound of gunfire kept ringing in the ears along with the cacophony of people running helter-skelter to save their lives, Jennifer said trying to piece together the nightmarish moments of the attack.
"I saw many dead bodies. Even now, whenever I close my eyes, those scenes flash before me," she said with a tremble in her voice.
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