Bodies of six family members fished out from nullah in AJK

Published July 19, 2015
Eyewitnesses say the deceased driver waited for about two hours but later drove, against the advice of the people.—Photo by author
Eyewitnesses say the deceased driver waited for about two hours but later drove, against the advice of the people.—Photo by author

MUZAFFARABAD: The bodies of a man and his five children, who were traveling in a car that was swept away by a raging torrent into Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK's) Kallar Nullah late on Saturday, were fished out by rescuers on Sunday, police said.

Mohammad Riaz, a taxi driver, was returning to Mirpur, the lakeside city of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) from his Choki Dhadra Parati village in Bhimber district, through Kasguma-Samahni link road on Saturday night when his car swept away by the strong currents of fast-flowing Kallar Nullah.

The deceased had taken three sons and two daughters, aged between seven and 21 years, to visit their grandmother on the first day of Eidul Fitr.

Eyewitnesses said the deceased driver waited for about two hours along the bank of the swollen water channel but later drove through it, against the advice of the people present on the spot, “because he had got late.”

“When his car reached in the middle of the water channel, it was swept away by the ferocious flow of water,” Chaudhry Nasir, a neighbor of the victims, told Dawn.

Dozens of people rushed to the spot and rmade efforts throughout the night to rescue them, but failed to locate the car – a 2008 model Toyota Corolla.

However, the rescue work succeeded after professional divers were brought from a private divers club in Mirpur, Nasir said.

The car had sunk to the deep portion of the waterbed some 15 feet ahead of the spot from where it had swept away.

“Since the front and rear door glasses had been rolled up, all bodies were trapped inside the car,” he said.

AJK minister Chaudhry Ali Shan Soni personally supervised the rescue efforts as the 50-year-old deceased driver was not only his electorate but also a die-hard worker.

He said the bodies had been removed to the village for burial.

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

An audit of polio funds at federal and provincial levels is sorely needed, with obstacles hindering eradication efforts targeted.
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...