Andhra Pradesh Vizag couple says landslide reroute saved them from Pahalgam terror attack
A couple from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, narrowly avoided the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, after a landslide forced their tour group to alter its itinerary. VS Anand and his wife Ratnam were among 40 tourists rerouted due to a landslip on the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway.
“Take life in its stride. Happiness is important,” said VS Anand, speaking from his home in Vizag. He and his wife had joined a group tour that included travellers from Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka.
“We started on April 19, from Vizag. We reached Delhi, had our darshan at Vaishno Devi, and had plans to go to Pahalgam after the darshan. But then we were informed of the landslides on the highway and had to take a detour back,” he recalled.
Anand believes it was more than just chance that led them away from danger. “It’s not luck,” he said, reflecting on the timing of the change in plans. “Had things gone according to the tour schedule, we would have been at Pahalgam the time the attacks happened.”
The couple’s journey was part of a tour package from Visakhapatnam. With their children now settled in the United States, Anand shared a message of gratitude and optimism. “Never take each day for granted. Be happy,” he said, before ending the call.
The attacks in Pahalgam on Tuesday left 26 tourists dead and several others traumatised, prompting security reinforcements and calls for safer travel arrangements in the region.
