NOWSHERA: The bodies of four teenagers, who had drowned in the Kabul River on Sunday, could not be fished out on Monday despite hectic efforts by four teams of divers and sailors.
Zohaib Shah, 13, and Zafar, 17, had jumped into the river after they had bet friends to swim across the river to the other side. The two swam for a while but later they could not stand to the swift currents and trapped into a powerful eddy in the river. Soon they were trapped in the whirlpool and disappeared from the sight, Muhammad Nazir, 20, and Ikramullah, 14, who were stated to be brothers and residents of Mian Issa, also jumped into the river to save the friends. However, the two brothers also drowned in a bid to save the friends.
Four teams of divers comprising Rescue 1122, Special Services Group of the Pakistan Army and dozens of other local divers soon after the tragic incident launched their efforts to fish out the bodies. The teams carried out search operation from Mian Issa, the place where the teenagers had drowned, to Attock in Kabul and later Indus rivers all day on the second day. However, the teams failed to find the drowned teenagers bodies as the water was muddy and the river had swelled because of the recent torrential rains. The teams said that there were 60 to 70 feet deep gorges under the river and the water was muddy and swift due to river narrowness where the teenagers had drowned so making it difficult for them to fish out the missing boys. District Development Advisory Committee Chairman and Member Provincial Assembly Idrees Khattak and Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali Khan were in contact with the teams searching for the bodies.
