Boat Tragedy: Body of missing minor fished out after 11 days

SRINAGAR — Finally, the prayers of Kashmiri people were answered after the body of 11-year-old boy Haziq Ahmed Sheikh of Gandabal Srinagar was retrieved from river Jhelum after a gap of 11 days on Friday.

With the recovery of Haziq’s body, the death toll in the Gandabal boat capsize incident has reached seven while two persons continue to remain missing.

Locals from Gandabal area of Srinagar told the news agency KNO that the body of Haziq was seen at Zero-bridge and was retrieved as well without any delay.

Later, the body was identified as Haziq Ahmed Sheikh, 11, of Gandabal, who had drowned along with six others in river Jhelum and was missing since April 16.

Since then, religious scholars of different schools of thought have visited Gandabal to share the pain and grief of bereaved families. They also prayed for the recovery of untraced bodies.

Emotional duas were made by the religious preachers for the recovery of those untraced.

Locals at Gandabal said they are hopeful that the bodies of two more missing will also float and they will have their last glimpse as well.

A pall of gloom descended over the entire Gandabal area of Srinagar yet again after the news of the recovery of Haziq’s body spread in the area.

An eyewitness said that as the body of Haziq reached his native area of Gandabal, people flooded the little boy’s residence amid shrieks and cries while women were seen wailing.

The Gandabal locality has been in a state of mourning for the past 11 days, owing to the tragic boat capsize incident that claimed seven lives including that of little Haziq. The father of Haziq, Showkat Ahmad and minor boy Farhan Parray continue to remain missing underwaters.

Regarding the retrieval of Haziq’s body, a local, who was part of the sand extraction team at Zero Bridge, Rajbagh, said that they saw the body on the top of the water floating near Rajbagh area on Friday afternoon.

“Soon, I along with other men rushed towards the body and handed it to the police, who then took it to the hospital, where medical formalities were done after which the body was handed over to the boy’s family,” he said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people attended the funeral of Haziq at Gandabal and bid him last goodbye. The family members of Haziq including his grandmother, grandfather and mother also had the last glimpse of little Haziq before his burial bath.

People from various parts of Srinagar had reached Gandabal to participate in the funeral of the little boy.