Sri Nagar, India: Rescue teams are engaged in urgent efforts to locate approximately 15 individuals who went missing after a boat carrying them across a swollen river capsized in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, on Tuesday. Among those missing are several children who were on their way to school when the boat overturned in the Jhelum river.
An official, speaking anonymously due to authorization constraints, confirmed that around 15 people, including children, were unaccounted for following the accident, which occurred amid heightened river levels resulting from persistent rainfall across the Himalayan Kashmir valley.
Witnesses recounted that a guiding rope used by the boat snapped under the pressure of the swiftly flowing water. Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat, the Srinagar district magistrate, stated that rescue operations were underway and efforts were being made to gather more information about the incident.
The Jhelum river is a common passage route for office workers and schoolchildren seeking to avoid road congestion in the morning. While accidents are frequent on the perilous roads of the mountainous region, incidents involving passenger boats are uncommon. The situation underscores the challenges posed by adverse weather conditions in the region and the importance of swift and coordinated rescue efforts.
