KASUR: Three out of four members of a family drowned in the River Sutlej on Tuesday near village Dia Singh Kotli Fateh Muhammad in the jurisdiction of Kanganpur police.

The family, hailing from Karachi, had visited a border area village in Kasur to meet relatives and came to the Sutlej to escape the scorching heat.

According to Rescue 1122, while the family of Muhammad Jamil was strolling along the riverbank, 12-year-old Rohan slipped and fell into the river. His mother, Rukhsana Bibi, jumped into the river, followed by her sister Nabila, aged 23, who also plunged into the water with her two-year-old daughter, Robab.

Rescue 1122 commenced search operations. As of the filing of this report, the bodies of Rukhsana, Nabila and Rohan had been recovered.

The search operation was halted due to darkness, with plans to resume in the morning to locate Robab who is feared to have drowned.

Rescue teams said the river’s depth at the site of the incident was approximately 25 feet. Police are investigating the matter.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2024