President Donald Trump extended his “deepest sympathies” on Tuesday after gunmen reportedly killed at least 20 people in India’s Kashmir region. 

“Deeply disturbing news out of Kashmir,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. “The United States stands strong with India against Terrorism. We pray for the souls of those lost, and for the recovery of the injured. Prime Minister Modi, and the incredible people of India, have our full support and deepest sympathies. Our hearts are with you all!” 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump had been briefed by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz on the matter. 

Trump will speak with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “as soon as he possibly can to express his heartfelt condolences for those lost,” Leavitt said at Tuesday’s White House briefing. “And our prayers are with those injured in our nation’s support for our ally, India. These types of horrific events by terrorists are why those of us who work for peace and stability in the world continue our mission. So we’ll give you a readout of that call later this afternoon.” 

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Leavitt said the press may hear from Trump directly later Tuesday afternoon. 

The shooting coincided with Vice President JD Vance and his family’s visit to India. 

Vance met with Modi on Monday and delivered a speech on strengthening the economic partnership between their two nations in the northwestern Indian city of Jaipur earlier Tuesday. 

“Usha and I extend our condolences to the victims of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India,” the vice president wrote on X after the attack. “Over 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.” 

Indian police said gunmen shot dead at least 20 tourists at a resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir in what appeared to be a major shift in the regional conflict in which tourists have largely been spared.

Modi said he strongly condemned “the terror attack” in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and offered condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. 

“I pray that the injured recover at the earliest,” Modi wrote on X. “All possible assistance is being provided to those affected. Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice…they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.” 

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The country’s police also described the incident as a “terror attack” and blamed militants fighting against Indian rule. 

“This attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media.

Indian security officers patrol in armored vehicles near Pahalgam in south Kashmir after assailants indiscriminately opened fired at tourists in Pahalgam, in Indian-controlled Kashmir, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

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

Most of the tourists killed were Indian, the officers reportedly told the AP on condition of anonymity, in keeping with departmental policy. 

Officials collected at least 20 bodies in Baisaran meadow, some three miles from the disputed region’s resort town of Pahalgam. 

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 as Kashmir, known for Himalayan foothills and exquisitely decorated houseboats, has become a major domestic tourist destination. It has drawn millions of visitors who enjoy a strange peace kept by ubiquitous security checkpoints, armored vehicles and patrolling soldiers.

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

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

“We will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,” India’s 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. He said Modi, on an official visit in Saudi Arabia, has been briefed.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a key resistance politician and Kashmir’s top religious cleric, condemned what he described as a “cowardly attack on tourists,” writing on social media that “such violence is unacceptable and against the ethos of Kashmir which welcomes visitors with love and warmth.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Senior Vatican Cardinal Pietro Parolin led a rosary prayer at the St Mary Major Basilica in Rome on Tuesday evening, honouring the memory of the late Pope Francis.

Cardinal Parolin has held the position of Secretary of State of the Vatican since 2013, and has been a member of the Council of Cardinals since 2014.

The basilica, where the Pope will be buried, had special significance to Francis as the home of his favourite icon of the Virgin Mary. Outside, crowds gathered to pay their respects to the late Holy Father.

“His legacy, apart from his memory and his texts, I think it will be his actions. (He made) Strong actions, actions that will remain in the memory of all Catholics, and above all, (his actions) will open new discussions, new behaviour in the Church towards God’s people,” said Pedro Marques, a priest who has travelled from Portugal for the Pope’s funeral.

For Ines Ramirez, a nun from El Salvador, the rosary was particularly emotional.

“I feel the emotions of what he always asked of us: to not forget to pray for him. And we, (as) pilgrims in the world, want to say to him to never stop praying for us, (as we are) his children, and we will always listen to his prayers,” she said.

Tributes to the late Pope continue to pour in from around the world as nations mourn his passing.

In Ecuador, where Pope Francis paid a visit in 2015, the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador has opened a book of commemoration for the public to sign.

“Well I think his style allowed the church to take a different step, a step towards peace, towards social justice, towards inclusion and I think it is very important that this vision is maintained,” explained Johana Heredia, a Catholic faithful at the signing.

“Not only a vision that the church should review but that the world needs urgently,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Cuban government decreed an official mourning period from 6am to 12pm on Tuesday, and ordered that the country’s flag be flown at half-mast in public buildings and institutions.

In Cairo, Egyptian Coptic Catholics attended a prayer service at the Holy Virgin Mary Coptic Catholic Cathedral.

“We extend our condolences to the Church and express our sympathy to the Catholic Church and all churches,” declared Samy Fawzy, Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Egypt.

“We also mourn the passing of a very great and luminary figure who had a significant impact on the church, someone who reconciled people and offered extraordinary love.”

And in Ukraine, dozens of Catholics in Kyiv attended a memorial service at St. Alexander’s Rome Catholic Cathedral, led by Vitaliy Krivitskiy, the Bishop of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese.