A view of Lidder river
By Tehelka Web Desk
The body of a Srinagar resident who was swept away in the Lidder River at Pahalgam while attempting to save his son was recovered on Friday, six days after he went missing, officials said.
Muhammad Ashraf Mir, 42, a resident of Jawahar Nagar in Srinagar, had gone missing on Sunday after jumping into the river to rescue his son, who had slipped into the water at Langanbal, around 8 km downstream from Pahalgam, during a family outing.
While his son, Fahad, survived the incident, Mir was carried away by the strong currents of the river.
Officials said the body was found in the Aamad area of the Lidder River, nearly 15 km downstream from the spot where he had disappeared.
“As the rescue team was about to wind up the day’s operation, the body was sighted in the river,” an official associated with the rescue operation said.
Mir worked as an air-conditioner mechanic and was the sole breadwinner of his family, which includes his wife, two sons and elderly parents.
The search operation entered its sixth day on Friday and involved personnel from the SDRF, NDRF, Civil Defence, Police, Army, MARCOS commandos and local volunteers. Hamza Sheikh, a deep diver from Doda district, also participated in the operation.
