Two children drown during rescue training

MULTAN:

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has taken notice of an incident and asked for an immediate report into the drowning of several youths on Sunday.

According to local residents, six children were riding on a boat and initial reports stated that all six boys had been rescued after their boat capsized. After 2 hours, Rescue 1122 officials recovered one body from River Chenab on Sunday and the body of Ahmed, 15, was recovered on Monday.

The incident occurred during training exercises, which were part of a routine exercise of Rescue 1122 to train students for emergency services. “The children had been brought by their school administration for rescue services when students insisted on boarding the boat,” said a school teacher Razia Anwar. Anwar said that the boat had maximum seating capacity of four but had been filled with eight children and two staff members of Rescue 1122.

When the boat capsized, Fahad and Ahmed drowned. The boys’ bodies have been handed over to their relatives. District Emergency Officer Dr Waseem arrived on the spot after the incident and the relatives of the children blamed Rescue 1122 staff for the deaths.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2011.