Nellore (Andhra Pradesh) [India], April 24 (ANI): The body of Madhusudan Rao, who was killed in the brutal attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, was brought home to his residence in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday.

Rao, a resident of Kavali in Nellore district was on vacation with his family and was among the 26 tourists killed in the attack.

The software engineer who had been residing in Bengaluru is survived by his wife and two children.

His mortal remains were brought to Chennai earlier today and transported to Kavali by road in an ambulance.

On Wednesday, YV Rao, the brother-in-law of the deceased urged for better protection of tourists by the Government.

'When tourists travel to states with high tourism potential, those states must ensure the safety of visitors and implement special acts to protect them. Within 24 hours, the issue has gained international attention, with countries like Russia, several European nations, and the United States condemning the attack,' Rao's brother in law told ANI.

Underlining the 'immense pain' the four sisters of Madhusudhan Rao are going through, YV Rao continued, 'Madhusudhan was a good human being who worked in Bengaluru and had gone on vacation to Jammu and Kashmir. Unfortunately, a tragic incident occurred during the trip. He has four sisters, and they are affectionate. Just when life seemed to be going well, this unpredictable incident has caused immense pain.'

Ramesh, who has been a friend and neighbour of Rao in Bengaluru for the past 15 years told ANI that Rao had gone to J-K after the exams of his daughter had finished, adding, 'The incident is truly heartbreaking. He has been a close friend of mine for the past 15 years. Last week, as soon as his daughter's exams were completed, they went to Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday night. After that, we didn't receive any calls from him.'

Ramesh said that Madhusudhan Rao succumbed in hospital of the severe injuries he had sustained in the attack.

The day before yesterday evening, some friends informed me that he had been injured in the terrorist attack. That same night, the police took their friend to the hospital to identify the body of Madhusudan Rao, but he had already died due to severe injuries.

Rao's body arrived in Chennai on Thursday morning where various political leaders, including state's Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nainar Nagendran and state Congress chief Selvaperunthagai paid a floral tribute.

Visuals from the residence of Rao showed police officials, relatives, neighbours and friends gathered to attend the rituals of Rao. Atleast a dozen people carried his coffin, holding him up as he was taken inside his home.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also paid his last respects to the terror attack victim on Wednesday, and also announced Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the victim.

This is one of the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

India, on Wednesday, announced a series of steps to give a strong message to Pakistan for its support to cross-border terrorism, stating that the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance and the integrated checkpost at Attari will be closed with immediate effect.

This attack is one of the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. (ANI)