Four killed, 19 missing as boat capsize in Occupied Kashmir

Srinagar: Four people were killed and 19 are missing after a boat capsized in the river in Occupied Kashmir.

According to the news report, a boat overturned in the Jhelum river in Srinagar city after which hundreds of people gathered on the river bank.

A rescue operation is underway to find the survivors of the accident in which marine commandos and rescue personnel are participating.

Among the missing are children who were going to school in the boat.

Srinagar Central Hospital Superintendent Muzaffar Zargar told reporters that four people have died in the accident while three injured people are undergoing treatment.

At least 26 people were on board the boat, a senior official in Occupied Kashmir told media.

The river has overflowed due to the rains in the occupied valley for several days.

The small boat that capsized in the river did not have an engine, instead the crew on the boat pulled on a rope attached to both ends of the boat to propel it between the banks of the river.

Eyewitnesses stated that the rope broke due to the force of the rushing water, causing it to crash into a pillar of a nearby pedestrian bridge.

Senior Political Officer of Occupied Kashmir Manoj Sinha turned to X and expressed grief over the loss of lives in the Srinagar boat accident.

Expressing his condolences to the bereaved families in the incident, he said that all possible help is being provided to the relatives of the deceased.

It is pertinent to note that in Srinagar, office goers and school going children take a boat from the river in the morning to avoid the traffic on the roads.

The accidents often occur on the dangerous roads in the mountainous region, but accidents involving passenger boats are rare.