Wrong fried rice, right timing: How a Kerala family escaped Pahalgam terror attack by minutes

A holiday lunch blunder turned out to be a life-saving delay for a family from Kerala, who narrowly avoided one of the deadliest terror attacks in Kashmir since the Pulwama bombing.

According to TOI, Alby George and ten of his family members — including his wife, children, parents, and cousins with their kids — had embarked on a vacation from Kochi on April 18 . The group arrived in Srinagar the following day and spent the next 48 hours exploring popular tourist spots in Gulmarg and Sonmarg.

On Tuesday, while en route to Pahalgam, around 80 kilometres from Srinagar, the family’s travel plans took an unexpected turn. Lavanya, Alby’s wife, said their morning started later than usual due to an already packed schedule. They had skipped meals during the previous legs of their trip, prompting Alby to insist on grabbing lunch before they ventured into the Baisaran meadows — a scenic destination in the hills of Pahalgam.

They pulled over at a roadside restaurant for a quick meal, but what arrived on their table was an unusually salty serving of fried rice. The restaurant staff offered to prepare a fresh batch, leading to a delay of nearly an hour.

The family resumed their journey. But just a few kilometres away from their destination, they noticed something unsettling. Upon stopping a passing vehicle to inquire, they were told that tensions had erupted nearby, involving central security personnel and tourists.

Though their driver believed the situation would soon return to normal and suggested continuing, the family made a collective decision to turn back. They spent some time by a lake before noticing local shopkeepers closing early and warning them of heightened security threats.

The family returned to their resort nearby, still unaware of the gravity of the situation. It wasn’t until later that evening, after receiving frantic calls from relatives, that they learned about the attack.

Gunmen had opened fire on a group of tourists at Baisaran meadow, killing 25 Indian nationals and one tourist from Nepal. Several others were critically injured in what has now been confirmed as the worst terrorist assault in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama attack, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans. This attack marks one of the most severe incidents in the region following the abrogation of Article 370.

(With inputs from ANI)