At least 26 people have been killed and a dozen injured in a suspected terror attack in the disputed Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir.

The incident, characterized by the region’s chief minister Omar Abdullah as “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”, occurred in a well-frequented tourist area in Pahalgam, within the mountainous Anantnag district.

A group of tourists were fired on by suspected militants and the injured were taken to the district’s main hospital for treatment, authorities said.

Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif denied any link to the attack.

“We have nothing to do with this, and we do not support terrorism anywhere,” he said in a TV interview with a Pakistani news outlet.

Pahalgam lies on a major pilgrimage route, known as the Amarnath Yatra, which takes place every year and has been exposed to previous attacks.

Thousands of tourists flock to Kashmir during its peak season each year, which runs from March to August.

The previous significant attack on tourists in the area happened in June, when at least nine individuals lost their lives and 33 were injured after a bus transporting Hindu pilgrims fell into a ravine following gunfire believed to be from militants.