Srinagar boat tragedy: No trace of missing persons as search continues along Jhelum

Srinagar, Apr 20: The rescue mission to locate the missing bodies of three persons in the Jhelum near Batwara-Gandabal continued for the fifth day without any breakthrough, officials said on Saturday.

Despite ongoing efforts by several agencies there have been no traces of the missing persons, Showkat Ahmad and his son Hazik Showkat, and another seven-year-old child Farhan Parray.

The tragic incident occurred on April 16 when a boat capsized in the Jhelum River in the Gandbal area of Batwara, resulting in the deaths of six individuals and leaving three locals missing. The search operation has yielded only a few school bags so far, with no sign of the missing individuals.

Quoting ASI SDRF, Abdul Rashid news agency KNO reported that the rescue teams have been on job for the last five days but there has been no success in finding the missing trio.

The rescue teams include the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army's MARCOS.

“We have been on our toes, searching for the missing trio, but unfortunately, nothing has been found yet," the ASI said, adding, “We have also been searching near Chattabal Vier as there are chances the bodies might float there, but till now, nothing has been found.”

During the initial stages of the rescue operation, four school bags were recovered near Chattabal Vier, with two additional bags retrieved later in the day by SDRF personnel. However, the missing bodies are yet to be traced.