Video: Just 20 Minutes From Death! ‘We Didn’t Look Back, Just Ran…’ – A Family’s Harrowing Escape

Reported By Narendra Puri

A business couple from Nagpur, Tilak and Simran Roopchandani, luckily survived the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday, which killed at least 26 people. “We were just 20 minutes away from death,” said the frightened couple, as they remembered the terrifying experience.

Family’s Harrowing Escape

“We cheated death by a whisker. We had just left Baisaran Valley, when we heard gunshots. Everyone was trying to escape. We were just 20 minutes away from the tragedy spot. We did not look back and just ran. The exit gate was small, only four feet, and it was jammed with fleeing tourists,” he said, telling how he managed to escape with his wife and son. “My wife suffered a fracture in her leg. I was just worried about their safety,” said Roopchandani, who lives in Dayanand Park, Jaripatka.

Simran, who is recovering in a government hospital in Anantna, said, “People were shouting firing ho rahi hai (firing is on) and there was a near stampede as everyone ran for cover. We did not look back at all. There were children as well. We were finding it difficult to breathe.”

#WATCH | A tourist couple from Nagpur recount the horror at Pahalgam, J&K

“We had just left when gunshots rang out. Everyone ran for their lives. We never looked back.”

Islamist terrorists shot dead 27 Hindu tourists and injured 12 others in the brutal attack after confirming… pic.twitter.com/SlFYC1btQC

— Ashwini Shrivastava (@AshwiniSahaya) April 22, 2025

Simran Roopchandani’s family is worried after she was injured in the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir. They haven’t been able to talk to her since the attack yesterday. Simran, her husband Tilak, and their child Gopal had gone to visit Vaishno Devi and Kashmir. The Roopchandani family is only able to see their loved ones on TV.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed the presence of Nagpur residents on the social platform X.

PM Modi Reviews Situation After Pahalgam Attack

According to news agency PTI, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting on Wednesday morning with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar at the Delhi airport after returning from Saudi Arabia. He discussed the situation following the terror attack in Pahalgam. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also joined the meeting, officials said.

PM Modi has ended his Saudi Arabia visit early because of the attack.

Also Read: Pahalgam Terror: Calls For Uri, Balakot-Style Surgical Strikes Flood Social Media As Valley Bleeds; Top Brass Meets In Delhi And Kashmir