Newlyweds fled on horseback with gunshots ringing in the air

NEW DELHI: Komal Soni was still teary-eyed and yet relieved when she boarded the flight out of Srinagar and reached Delhi airport, a day after the terrorist attack took place in Baisaran meadow, about 5km from Pahalgam. Her fingers clutched Mihir's hand tightly as if letting go would bring the sounds back - shots, screams, and the silence that followed.

Just two months into their marriage, the young couple came to Pahalgam hoping to escape to the hills - their "mini Switzerland". Wrapped in woollens, they were laughing over a steaming bowl of Maggi and clicking selfies when it happened.

"A sudden crack in the air. One shot, and then another," Komal recalled, her voice barely above a whisper. "We saw a man fall. Then another. Everything around us stopped."

They weren't watching the news. They were living it. "The photo of Lt Vinay Narwal's wife - for the world, it went viral. For us, it was real. We saw death come closer. We ran before it could reach us," she said.

They escaped on horseback, adrenaline surging, breath short, whispering prayers as they fled. Locals told them not to panic, but fear had already taken root. By the time they reached the entrance to the meadow, they had just one thought - to run as fast as one could.

Next day, they were on the first flight to Delhi, heading home to Jaipur. "We'll never go back to Kashmir," Komal said, tears welling up again. Mihir added, "We feel lucky, blessed and sad at the same time."

They weren't alone in their urgency. Tourists across the region were rushing to leave.