SRINAGAR: Six persons, five of them schoolchildren, drowned when a boat carrying 15 people capsized in the river Jhelum near Batwara in Srinagar on Tuesday morning.
The boat was mostly carrying children to school when the tragedy occurred around 8 am. While three passengers were still missing, six others were rescued, Srinagar deputy commissioner (DC) Bilal Bhat said.The bodies of the deceased, including a mother of two kids, were retrieved.
Bhat said a massive rescue operation was launched by SDRF, NDRF and police, with local residents aiding them. Searches were underway to find the missing students.
Besides the DC, Kashmir’s divisional commissioner and IGP, and the Srinagar SSP were at Gandbal-Batwara, monitoring the rescue operations, sources said.
J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the loss of lives. “Administration is providing all possible help to the bereaved families who have lost their near and dear ones and medical facilities to those who have been injured. Marcos teams have also been alerted. I am constantly monitoring the situation and guiding the team on the ground,” he said in a post on X.
NC, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and other politicians also condoled the deaths.