Pulwama, May 08: A boat ferrying eight migrant labourers capsized in River Jhelum on Wednesday evening, drowning two of them while six were rescued.
The incident occurred in Hatiwara, Awantipora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district at around 7 pm.
An official said that the labourers, who were working in the fields across the river, had taken the river route to reach their destination.
“The boat suddenly capsized in the middle of the river,” the official said. He said that soon after the incident, residents, Police and SDRF teams rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.
“Six persons have been rescued while two are missing,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Pulwama, Basharat Qayoom said that people, particularly labourers and farmers took the river route as a shortcut to access their fields located on the other side of the river – Kakapora.
He said that a motorable bridge connecting two sides is located 1 km from the site of the incident.
“A rescue operation by Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and officials from the Revenue Department is underway,” the DC said.
This is the second boat capsizing incident in less than a month. On April 16, a boat capsized in the Gandbal area, drowning nine persons. Eight bodies have been recovered so far.