Rescuers suspend hunt for drowned child

Rising water levels and strong currents hamper search operations

RAWALPINDI:

The body of a six-year-old boy who was swept away in Nullah Leh in the Gulistan Colony area has still not been recovered, despite a four-day search operation by Rescue 1122.

Rescue divers, who spent four consecutive days searching in the polluted water, have reportedly developed skin allergies due to prolonged exposure. On the fourth day, rescue teams extended the search from Soan Bridge to Gorakhpur and up to Phase-VIII of a private housing society along the Soan River. However, with water levels and flow increasing because of continued rainfall, authorities decided to suspend the operation.

According to Rescue 1122, the incident occurred at around 11am on Saturday when six-year-old Muhammad Zahid fell into Nullah Leh near Gulistan Colony's Line No. 3. His father, 36-year-old Mehrban Khan, immediately jumped into the drain in an attempt to save him, but both were swept away by the strong current.

Rescue teams rushed to the scene and launched a search operation. Later that day, they recovered the body of Mehrban Khan, but the child remained missing.

The search resumed at sunrise on Sunday and continued into the following days, but despite extensive efforts, rescuers failed to locate the boy. Each day's operation was suspended after sunset due to darkness.

On the fourth day, the search area was expanded significantly, but the child could still not be found. Following four days of unsuccessful efforts, Rescue 1122 decided to suspend the operation because of dangerous conditions caused by rising water levels and strong currents.

District Emergency Officer Rescue 1122 Rawalpindi, Engineer Sibghatullah, confirmed that several rescue personnel had developed skin allergies after spending prolonged periods in the contaminated water of Nullah Leh.

He said the search area had been extended from Soan Bridge to Gorakhpur and Phase-VIII of a private housing society along the Soan River, but persistent rainfall had made the operation increasingly hazardous. As a result, no search operation would be conducted on the fifth day unless conditions improve.