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Gunmen shot dead at least 26 tourists at a resort in聽, police said Tuesday, in what appeared to be a major shift in the regional conflict in which tourists have largely been spared.

Police described the incident as a 鈥渢error attack鈥� and blamed militants fighting against Indian rule. 鈥淭his attack is much larger than anything we鈥檝e seen directed at civilians in recent years,鈥澛�, the region鈥檚 top elected official, wrote on social media.

Two senior police officers said at least four gunmen, whom they described as militants, fired at dozens of tourists from close range. The officers said at least three dozen others were injured, many in serious condition.

Most of the tourists killed were Indian, the officers said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with departmental policy. Officials collected at least 24 bodies in Baisaran meadow, some five kilometers (3 miles) from the disputed region鈥檚 resort town of Pahalgam. Two others died while being taken for medical treatment.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Police and soldiers were searching for the attackers.

鈥淲e will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,鈥� India鈥檚 home minister, Amit Shah, wrote on social media. He arrived in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, and convened a meeting with top security officials.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was cutting short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and returning to New Delhi early Wednesday, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

, a key resistance politician and Kashmir鈥檚 top religious cleric, condemned what he described as a 鈥渃owardly attack on tourists,鈥� writing on social media that 鈥渟uch violence is unacceptable and against the ethos of Kashmir which welcomes visitors with love and warmth.鈥�

The gunfire coincided with the visit to India of聽, who called it a 鈥渄evastating terrorist attack.鈥� He added on social media: 鈥淥ver the past few days, we have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack.鈥�

U.S. President Donald Trump on social media noted 鈥渄eeply disturbing news out of Kashmir. The United States stands strong with India against terrorism.鈥� Other global leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, condemned the attack.

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

Kashmir has seen a聽聽of Hindus, including immigrant workers from Indian states, after聽in 2019 and drastically聽.

Tensions have been simmering as India has intensified its counterinsurgency operations. But despite tourists flocking to Kashmir in huge numbers for its Himalayan foothills and exquisitely decorated houseboats, they have not been targeted.

The region has drawn聽聽who enjoy a strange peace kept by ubiquitous security checkpoints, armored vehicles and patrolling soldiers. New Delhi has vigorously pushed tourism and claimed it as a sign of normalcy returning.

The meadow in Pahalgam is a popular destination, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and dotted with pine forests. It is visited by hundreds of tourists every day.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, while condemning the attack, said the Modi government should take accountability instead of making 鈥渉ollow claims on the situation being normal鈥� in the region.

Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi鈥檚 rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels鈥� goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.

In March 2000, at least 35 civilians were shot and killed in a southern village while then-U.S. President Bill Clinton was visiting India. It was the region鈥檚 deadliest attack in recent years.

Violence has ebbed in recent times in the Kashmir Valley, the heart of anti-India rebellion. Fighting between government forces and rebels has largely shifted to remote areas of Jammu region including Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua, where Indian troops have faced deadly attacks.

Associated Press writers Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi and Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report