In a tragic incident, six persons including a mother and her two school going children were killed and three persons including two children are still missing after a boat carrying nearly two dozen persons capsized in River Jhelum at Gandbal, Batwara on Tuesday.
The boat carrying nearly two dozen persons capsized in the Jhelum River at Gandbal, Batwara area at around 8 am, creating total chaos and confusion in the area.
The locals said the incident took place after the boat’s rope broke unexpectedly, causing the vessel to collide with a pillar of an under construction bridge in the centre of the Jhelum river.
Immediately after the boat capsize, a rescue operation was launched by SDRF, police, army and MARCOS commandos to look for the missing persons.
The rescue operation, which was in progress when the last reports came in, is being continuously monitored by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, SSP Srinagar, and other high rank officials of the administration.
Along the riverbanks, a crowd anxiously awaited updates on their missing loved ones, with some women raising their hands in prayer, beseeching for divine intervention in the rescue efforts.
According to officials, so far bodies of six persons including a woman and her two children have been fished out.
“10 other persons were also rescued while three others including two kids are still missing,” they said.
According to a survivor named Mushtaq Ahmad, the boat that overturned was ferrying several local residents and students across the river at the time of the incident.
He said the boat’s rope snapped unexpectedly and shattered into two pieces after colliding with an under construction bridge in the middle of the river.
Amidst tears and cries, hundreds of people attended the deceased’s burial rites in an open field in Batwara.
A footbridge near the area where the accident took place has been under construction for nearly a decade.
“The footbridge bridge at Gandbal has been under construction for the last two decades. The locals were compelled to use boats to cross. If the bridge had been constructed in time, probably this incident could have been avoided,” fumed a local resident. The families of the deceased, especially women, were wailing after the bodies were brought home.
Kashmir witnessed incessant rain for the last two days, which has led to an increase in the water levels of several bodies, including Jhelum. This morning, Jhelum was flowing close to the flood alarm level in Srinagar.