Swept away saving son, Srinagar man’s body recovered after 6 days in Lidder

Anantnag, Jun 5: The body of a Srinagar man who was swept away in the Lidder River while trying to save his son was recovered on Friday, six days after he went missing, officials said.

Muhammad Ashraf Mir, 42, of Jawahar Nagar, Srinagar, disappeared on Sunday after jumping into the river to save his son, who had slipped into the water at Langanbal, about 8 km downstream of Pahalgam, during a family outing.

His son, Fahad, survived, but Mir was carried away by strong currents.

Officials said the body was spotted in the Aamad area of the Lidder River, around 15 km downstream from where he went missing.

“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 operation said.

The body was retrieved and shifted for medico-legal formalities before being handed over to the family.

“We couldn’t get him back, but at least we can bury him according to our religious beliefs in our own graveyard,” a relative at the search site said. “That gives the family some relief.”

Mir worked as an air-conditioner mechanic and was the sole breadwinner for a family comprising his wife, two sons, and elderly parents.

The search operation, which entered its sixth day on Friday, involved teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Civil Defence, Police, Army, MARCOS commandos, and local volunteers.

Hamza Sheikh, a deep diver from Doda district, also joined the operation.

Mir’s death is among a series of drowning incidents reported across Kashmir in recent weeks as rivers, streams, and canals continue to run high.

According to official and local reports, at least 11 people have died in water-related accidents across the Valley during the past two months.

Among the recent victims was 18-year-old ObairShabir of Bandipora, who drowned after he and his father were swept away by a sudden surge in NalaSorinder while bathing.

His father survived and is undergoing treatment at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura.

In Tangmarg, a three-year-old boy, Abu Bakar, died after falling into a canal.

A day earlier, NazirShakil Bhat of Srinagar drowned while bathing in Nigeen Lake.