New Delhi, April 23 -- Tourists who are stranded in the Kashmir valley in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack are having to shell out a hefty amount of money to fly back to their home towns, as flight tickets have exorbitantly risen, apparently because of heavy demand. Air fares to major Indian cities have skyrocketed since the news of the terrorist attack broke out on Tuesday evening.

Searches on the websites of airline operators either show elevated ticket prices or indicate that tickets are sold out. Anyone trying to book a ticket for today would encounter messages such as "all flights are too close to departure," "sold out," or "unfortunately, there are no flights available."

For Thursday, April 24, an economy class ticket fro...