Twenty-six people were killed and 17 were injured when suspected militants opened fire at tourists in India's Jammu and Kashmir territory on Tuesday, the worst such attack in the country in nearly two decades.

Officials said 24 of the people killed were Indian tourists, one was from Nepal and one was a local tourist guide. At least 17 others were injured.

It was the deadliest attack against civilians in years in Kashmir, a region claimed by both India and Pakistan that has been racked by violence for decades.