QUETTA: The bodies of a child and a young man were retrieved from an underground water channel in Sariab area, a locality on the outskirts of Quetta, on Friday.

Police said a garbage picker slipped into the water channel while passing through the area.

A young social worker, Balaach Nusherwani, rushed to the site and jumped into the channel to save the 12-year-old Ghulam Mohammad, but he also lost his life due to the presence of poisonous gas inside.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority’s rescue team failed to recover the bodies of the two victims despite 10 hours’ efforts. Later two youths, identified as Jalil Ahmed Shahwani and Amir Hamza, belonging to Mastung area, went into the water channel using masks and recovered both the bodies.

Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo praised the efforts of the two youngsters and announced a reward of Rs200,000 each for them. He also announced Rs3 million for the family of Balaach Nusherwani.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2022