One victim had recently returned home after decades working abroad to enjoy a retirement filled with travel and family time; another hoped the trip into the beauty of Indian-administered Kashmir would cheer the spirits of his semi-paralyzed wife.

At least 26 people were killed and 17 others wounded when gunmen opened fire on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir, the worst assault in years targeting civilians in a restive region that has seen an anti-India rebellion for more than three decades.

In what is the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai shootings, more than two dozen men were killed when suspected militants opened fire at tourists in India's Jammu and Kashmir territory.