Kashmir boatman saves three tourists, drowns trying to retrieve bag Ageless Leander Paes set for record 7th Olympics at Rio

A Kashmiri boatman saved three tourists from drowning in the Jhelum in Srinagar but was himself swept away after he was allegedly forced to jump back into the river to retrieve their bag, police said on Saturday.

However, the body of the sixty-year-old boatman, identified as one Ghulam Mohammad Guroo, was untraced till Saturday, a day after a team of Indian Navy divers joined the search operations.

Police quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the boat capsized during a cruise on the river on Wednesday evening. After saving the three tourists, Guroo dived back and even got hold the bag but could not swim back to the bank due to exhaustion.

The unidentified tourists, whom other boatmen claimed to have seen coaxing Guroo to return to the river, allegedly left the spot in a hurry.

Boating on the iconic Dal Lake and the Jhelum on small boats popularly known as ‘shikaras’ is a must-do for thousands of tourists who visit the scenic Kashmir valley every year, especially during the summers.

Leander Paes will make a record seventh Olympic appearance at Rio, the country’s tennis body said on Saturday, ending days of uncertainty over the fate of the iconic player who has won 18 Grand Slam titles. Paes, 42, will pair up with Rohan Bopanna in the men’s doubles at the Olympics, the All India Tennis Association president Anil Khanna said after a selection committee meeting.