NAROWAL:Funeral prayers for nine members of a family who drowned in the Swat River were offered in Daska, Sialkot, on Sunday.

A large number of grieving relatives and thousands of citizens attended the ceremony as the victims were laid to rest in their ancestral graveyard.

The bodies of the victims, who were swept away by flash floods on Friday, were brought to Daska by ambulances.

Among the deceased were 45-year-old Rubina Kausar, and her daughters 20-year-old Tazmeen and 16-year-old Shermeen, whose funeral prayers were held at Darul Uloom Madina, Daska. Seven-year-old Mohammad Ayaan and 15-year-old Imam, siblings, were laid to rest following funeral prayers at Eidgah on Sambrial Road.

Four daughters of Muhammad Mohsin, 17-year-old Meerab, 18-year-old Ajwa, 13-year-old Mashal and 7-year-old Anfal, were also among the victims. Their funeral prayers were offered at Noor Masjid on College Road, Daska.

Gujranwala Commissioner Syed Naveed Haider, RPO Tayyab Hafeez Cheema, DPO Sialkot Faisal Shahzad, Assistant Commissioner Daska Usman Ghani and Deputy Commissioner Sialkot Saba Asghar Ali were present. Provincial Minister for Local Government Mian Zeeshan Rafiq, along with various political, social, and community figures, also attended.

A search operation was ongoing to find 15-year-old Mohammad Abdullah, who is still missing.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, offering heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. She called the incident heartbreaking and said it could have been avoided with timely rescue efforts.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2025