A vehicle, carrying four passengers and a driver, rolled down into the swollen river Shingo near Kargil, Friday night and so far the driver’s body was recovered from the mangled vehicle fished out of the fast-flowing river.
The vehicle was moving from Drass to Kargil when it met with an accident near Kaksar Bridge. The vehicle had been hired by a local contractor who had hired three labourers from Doda and Drass. One of the labourers fell seriously ill, prompting the contractor to head towards Kargil for medical treatment.
As they approached the river Shingo, the force of the monsoon-fed river proved to be too much, causing the vehicle to lose control and plunge into the raging waters.
Early Saturday morning, a search operation was launched at the site where the victims’ mobile telephones were last active. Later, rescue teams found a tire of the ill-fated vehicle, further confirming the location of the accident. Tragically, the body of the driver, identified as Mushtaq Ahmed from Kangan in Ganderbal district, was discovered inside the submerged vehicle.
All four are declared dead though their bodies are yet to be recovered. They have been identified as Shabir Ahmed, hailing from Holiyal, Drass; the contractor; Irshad Ahmed; and two labourers, Abdul Qayoom and Ajaz Qazi, all residents of Doda, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.—KMS
