BHAKKAR/SAHIWAL:
The bodies of six members of two families who had drowned in in the Indus and Jhelum rivers have been found.
In Bhakkar, a family outing to the Indus river ended in tragedy when a 21-year-old woman drowned along with her two young cousins. According to local officials, a six-year-old girl slipped into the river, after which her 13-year-old sister jumped in to save her.
Seeing both girls drowning, their 21-year-old cousin also leapt into the river to rescue them. However, the strong current swept all three into deeper water.
Upon hearing the screams for help from Lal Shah, the husband of the woman, local residents began a search and retrieved the bodies from the river after about half an hour.
Bhakkar District Police Officer Shehzad Rafiq Awan told The Express Tribune that the deceased woman had been married 15 days earlier and was visiting a relative, Syed Taqqi Shah, in Jhok Jando, along with her husband, from the nearby town of Behal.
Due to the river’s proximity, they had gone for sightseeing at the Basti Mian Khan dyke with the two young cousins.
The funeral of the woman was held in Kathanwalla and of Taqi Shah’s daughters in Jhok Jando.
The DPO explained that the incident had occurred during daytime and the water was seven to eight feet deep at the spot where the six-year-old girl had drowned. Her 13-year-old sister and newlywed cousin jumped into the same dangerous area in an attempt to save her, resulting in all three losing their lives.
As the area descended into gloom over the tragedy, the official emphasised the importance of avoiding to take young children to the riversides.
He suggested that even adults should prefer alternative locations for recreation.
Meanwhile, the bodies of three members of a family from Kot Lashkari Khan in Sahiwal district were retrieved from River Jhelum.
The family had gone to the river for recreation on the third day of Eid. A woman was taking selfies near the river when she slipped into the water. Her sister attempted to rescue her.
Eventually, four family members were swept away while trying to save each other from drowning.
Local residents managed to save one young man, Zeeshan Anwar.
Sarfaraz Raja, his wife Nida and sister-in-law Nazia Sajjad drowned in the river. Their bodies were found seven kilometres downstream 20 hours later.
The bodies were retrieved by local divers and teams from Rescue 1122.
