Blind mother, widower father mourn losses Valley leaders slam delay in work to construct bridge

Elderly woman awaits update on her missing son and grandson; man loses wife, twin sons after boat capsizes in Jhelum in Gandbal

Forty-five year old Firdousa Fayaz was accompanying her twin sons, Tahir Fayaz and Mudasir Fayaz, both seven, to their school in Batwara on the boat that on Tuesday capsized in the swollen Jhelum river.

The trio, residents of Gandbal, lost their lives in the mishap, while a father and his nine-yearold son remain missing.

The tragedy struck when the boat, tethered to an overhead cable, capsized after the rope holding it snapped.

Neighbours recall Firdousa, a doting mother, always chasing after her kids. “The mother and her two sons were together in death as well. She and her two sons were buried in a single grave,” said Adnan Ashraf, a Gandbal resident. “The father of the kids and husband of the woman has been left alone,” he added.

Six of around 19 people onboard the boat have lost their lives in the mishap, while three others, including the aforementioned father-son duo are still missing.

Besides Firdousa and her sons, the dead include Raziya, a Class 11 student of Kendra Vidyalaya School, the same school attended by Tahir and Mudasir, Shabir Ahmad Bhat, 34, a labour by profession and Gulzar Ahmad Dar, 40.

Search operations are underway to find the missing, Farhan Waseem Parray, a Class 2 student, Haziq Showkat Sheikh, a Class 3 student, and his father Showket Ahmad Sheikh.

The students’ bags were washed away onto the riverside and discovered by residents of Chattabal, around 8 km away from the place where tragedy struck.

Members of the Sheikh family were distraught as they were spotted sitting by the banks of

Jhelum at Ganderbal waiting for an update from the rescue teams.

“I am blind. I walk with a stick. What will I do now? Where are you my beloved,” the elderly mother of Showkat Sheikh said.

Farhan’s mother, who was also on the boat and was rescued, was inconsolable.

“The boat was carrying less than the usual number of people today. Routinely more people traverse the river on the boat than today. When it reached the middle it hit the pillar and I lost my son whose hand was in my hand. It happened so fast that I did not understand what happened,” she said.

“I had called Firdousa in the morning saying the water was high, but she said we have seen higher waters,” she added.

Neck-deep in water: Survivors recount horrors

Survivors and eyewitnesses recounted the horrors of the tragedy. Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh, who survived the mishap, said the boat was sailing smoothly when the rope of the boat tethered to an overhead cable, suddenly snapped. The river’s flow was fierce after three days of rains in the past three days and that possibly caused the malfunction.

“When we reached the middle, the rope snapped suddenly and it hit the iron pillar. The boat broke and it capsized,” he said. “I thought it was the end”.

Sheikh got entangled in the rope, which he grabbed to save himself. “Three among us clinged to the rope and the locals brought another boat and we were rescued. We also grabbed a woman who was also saved. Many school children, however, just disappeared before my eyes in the fast moving water.”

Sheikh said they held onto the capsizing boat until help arrived, neck-deep in water.

Notably, the iron pillar that the boat hit was part of the footbridge which was under construction over the river for the past nine years.

Doodnath, a resident of UP who was across the river when the boat capsized, said the impact of the boat with the iron pillar caused it to turn upside down. Fayaz Ahmad, a resident of Gandbal, said the children were trying to cling to the pieces of the wood floating in the water but could not hold up.

Leaders from political parties questioned the government for not completing the bridge over Jhelum in view of the deaths of six persons, including three students, after a boat capsized in the river at Gandbal Batwara on Tuesday morning.

Three persons including two students are still missing and a search operation is underway.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister (CM) and member of Parliament from Srinagar, Farooq Abdullah, demanded an inquiry into why the bridge was not completed on time.

“The tragedy could have been averted if the bridge had been completed on time. Why was it not completed? An inquiry must be initiated,” Farooq Abdullah said while blaming the administration for lapses.

He added that the bridge construction work began when Omar Abdullah was the CM, adding, “The absence of this bridge has been the reason for loss of lives in the river Jehlum. This administration should wake up as many people including students have lost their lives in this tragedy.”

The former CM said the administration will only wake up from slumber after this incident. “What’s sad now is that all officials will rush to hurry the work when precious lives have been already lost,” he said. Abdullah said that prompt investigation should be ordered: “There should be a truthful investigation.”

People Democratic Party (PDP) youth secretary Zuhaib Mir said he had been requesting the officials to complete the bridge for the last two years. “I have written several communications to the lieutenant governor’s office but nothing happened. This shows the present administration doesn’t care about us.”

Iltija Mufti, advisor to another former CM Mehbooba Mufti, also from PDP, also demanded an inquiry into this incident. “From past many years this bridge hasn’t been completed. My question to administration is that who is responsible for this incident. Jammu and Kashmir is under central rule from past five years who is responsible for this incident,”

swFormer city mayor and senior Apni Party leader Junaid Azim Mattu said the inquiry by a retired high court judge should be initiated into the delay in completion of the bridge.

“An inquiry… should be constituted to submit a time-bound report about why the GandbalBatwara Bridge couldn’t be constructed by R&B since 15 years! Those responsible should be booked for gross negligence and involuntary manslaughter,” Mattu wrote on X.

Party president also demanded a time-bound inquiry into the incident.

Roads and buildings secretary Bupinder Kumar and Srinagar deputy commissioner (DC) Bupinder Kumar did not respond to messages about the delay in bridge’s completion.

SIX OF AROUND 19 PEOPLE ON BOARD HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES, WHILE THREE OTHERS, INCLUDING TWO SCHOOL STUDENTS REMAIN MISSING

L-G expressed condolences

Meanwhile, L-G Manoj Sinha has expressed condolences, saying. “I am deeply grieved by the loss of lives due to a boat accident in Srinagar. My thoughts are with the bereaved families and I pray to the Almighty to give them strength to withstand this immense loss. Team of SDRF, army and other agencies are carrying out relief and rescue work.”

“The administration is providing all possible help to the bereaved families who have lost their near and dear ones and medical facilities to those who have been injured. Marcos teams have also been alerted. I am constantly monitoring the situation and guiding the team on the ground,” he added.