MANSEHRA: The bodies of two minor siblings, who drowned in the Kunhar River after falling from a steep rocky slope, could not be recovered even on the fourth day of the incident on Saturday.
“Rescuers have actively been searching for the bodies since the children fell into the river, but a large tree affixed in the middle of the river remains a major obstacle,” Hasrat Khan, assistant commissioner of Balakot, told reporters.
Sameer, 8, and his sister Fatima, 6, had come from Balakot to visit their grandparents along with their mother in the Tarapi area when they slipped from a rocky slope and fell into the Kunhar River in Kaghan Valley earlier this week.
Rescue teams also deployed heavy machinery in an attempt to remove the large tree stuck between rocks in the river, which, according to officials, is obstructing the flow and preventing the bodies from moving downstream.
The assistant commissioner and District Emergency Officer Rescue 1122, Ibrar Ali, visited the site and reviewed the ongoing search operation.
“We have brought in heavy machinery to remove the tree, which has been fixed here since the 2010 floods and spread its roots all around in the river water, but so far we have been unable to dislodge it,” Khan said.
A large number of people gathered at the site to witness the operation, causing traffic disruptions on the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road. A group of local divers, experienced in search and recovery operations, is also assisting the Rescue 1122 teams in the effort.
