Baramulla, July 14 (JKNS): Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed deep sorrow over the tragic drowning incident in which four members of a Srinagar-based family were swept away in River Jhelum near Gantmulla area of Baramulla on Sunday.
Office of J&K CM in a post on X as per news agency JKNS wrote, The Chief Minister has expressed deep anguish over the tragic drowning incident in Baramulla today. Authorities have been directed to intensify search and rescue efforts on priority.
An official told news agency JKNS that the family was on a picnic when two children reportedly slipped into the river. In an attempt to rescue them, two more family members jumped in, but all four were swept away by strong currents.
One person was rescued by locals, while the body of a minor was retrieved and shifted to Boniyar Hospital for medico-legal formalities. However, two other individualsone child and one elder remain missing, they said.
Officials said that teams from SDRF, J&K Police, and local volunteers resumed rescue operations on Monday morning near the NHPC Canal stretch of River Jhelum at Gantmulla in Boniyar.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Baramulla has launched operations for the second consecutive day in the water reservoir area to trace and retrieve the two missing bodies, identified as, Mehnaz Rashid Shah, son of Ab Rashid Shah, resident of Khanyar, Srinagar, aged about 40 years and Ahmad Bin Khalid, son of Khalid Mehraj Shah, resident of Hyderpora, Srinagar, aged about 12 years. (JKNS)