SDRF, police and volunteers locate body 15 km downstream
YOUNUS RASHID
Pahalgam, June 5: The body of Srinagar resident Mohammad Ashraf Mir was recovered from the Lidder River in Amad, Aishmuqam on Friday after an intensive six-day search operation involving SDRF, police, army personnel, local volunteers and noted rescuer Hamza Sheikh from Doda.
Mir, a resident of Ikhrajpora, Jawahar Nagar, drowned near the Langanbal area of Pahalgam on Sunday after reportedly jumping into the river to save his son, Fahad, who had slipped into the fast-flowing waters along the riverbank. While the child was rescued by local residents, Mir was swept away by the strong current.
The search teams combed several stretches of the Lidder River over the past six days, battling strong currents and challenging conditions in an effort to locate the missing man.
The recovery of the body brought an end to days of anxious waiting for the family and the hundreds of people who had been closely following the search operation. The body was subsequently handed over to the family for last rites.
Meanwhile, SDRF Kashmir, in a post on X, (formerly Twitter), said that after six days of relentless search efforts, SDRF teams from Anantnag and Kulgam, in coordination with NGO volunteers and local residents, recovered Mir’s body near Badwani Bridge in the Aamad Bagad area of Anantnag.
The agency said Mir had drowned in the Lidder River at Langanbal, Pahalgam, on May 31 while attempting to rescue his son. According to SDRF, the body was recovered about 15 kilometres downstream from the site of the incident.