GILGIT: Two men drowned in Yasin River in Ghizer district on Sunday.

According to Rescue 1122, Maqsood, 22, and Muzaffar, 19, were residents of Yasin and drowned while swimming near Damalgan village in the Yasin Valley of Ghizer district. Local volunteers retrieved the bodies from the river after prolonged efforts.

Rescue 1122 teams were immediately dispatched from Gupis and Singal areas but by the time they arrived, the local residents had already recovered the bodies.

The victims were taken to Civil Hospital where they were declared dead. The bodies of both the youth are being moved to Civil Hospital Tois and will then be shifted to their native village after necessary legal action.

Swimming in rivers and streams has been banned by local administration due to increase in water flow in the summer. Similar incidents have claimed many lives across Gilgit-Baltistan since June this year.

In another incident, a man was killed in a car accident in Kharmang district. According to the police, the vehicle en route from Kharmang to Skardu fell into a ravine while navigating a sharp turn near Mehdiabad on Monday. The driver died on the spot.

Another drowns in Neelum River

A man drowned on Monday while collecting firewood from Neelum River.

Irshad Baig, 26, tragically died in his hometown of Dudhnial, about 120km northeast of here, Akhtar Ayoub, the district disaster management officer in Neelum valley told Dawn by telephone.

“While trying to gather firewood, he lost his balance and drowned, despite the otherwise calm flow of the river in that area,” he said.

Heavy rains often cause firewood and split logs to float in the water channels, prompting individuals to risk their lives collecting them despite repeated warnings from government officials. Every year, the dangerous practice results in several fatalities.

Mr Ayoub said the victim’s body had been retrieved by the rescue teams from the river.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2024