by: Jahangir Sofi
SRINAGAR: Search and rescue operations continued for a third straight day on Friday for two missing labourers who were drowned in a boat capsize on the Jhelum River in the Hatiwara area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
Officials told Kashmir Life that the search has been scaled up and widened in the area to retrieve the bodies of the two missing labourers, but as of now, there were no traces of the missing duo.
“Multiple teams, including Marcos divers, have been pressed to retrieve the bodies of the two missing labourers, but as of now, there are no traces of the missing duo,” said an official.
Earlier on Thursday, the district administration said that alongside teams from NDRF, SDRF police, paramilitary forces, Armed Forces, and locals of the area, Marcos divers were also pressed to retrieve two missing bodies.
According to the officials, the missing two labourers have been identified as Himanshu, 25, and Ravi Kumar, 22, both hailing from Uttar Pradesh.
As per the officials, the labourers were working in fields at Hatiwara and while coming back, instead of taking the route via Kakapora bridge, they chose to take the shortcut, and the ill-fated boat met with an accident.
Seven people were safely rescued and are stable, while the search for the two remaining persons continued during the night.
The District Magistrate of Pulwama, during his visit to the incident site, reiterated the recent advisories issued by the administration, urging people to avoid risky water travel and strictly adhere to safety measures.
Last month, on April 16, Kashmir witnessed a major tragedy as a boat capsized in Srinagar’s Gandbal area, resulting in eight fatalities, with one body still unaccounted for in the Jhelum River.
