Srinagar, Apr 23: Rescue teams on Thursday continued an extensive search operation in the river Jhelum to trace a boy who jumped into the water from Budshah Bridge in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk area late Wednesday evening, officials said.
The unidentified boy had jumped into the river from Budshah Bridge on Wednesday, prompting an immediate response from police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and other teams.
Soon after the incident, rescue teams rushed to the spot and launched a search operation in the river. However, despite efforts until late evening, the boy could not be traced.
ASI SDRF Jhelum Srinagar, Mohammad Ashraf said that the search operation was resumed early Thursday morning by the Quick Response Team (QRT) Jhelum unit.
“Teams carried out extensive searches throughout the day at multiple locations in the river stretch. However, due to dim light and low visibility, the operation has been suspended for the evening and will resume at first light tomorrow,” the ASI said.
The CCTV footage of the incident also surfaced, purportedly showing the boy climbing the railing of Budshah Bridge before jumping into the river Jhelum. The video has since circulated widely on social media.
Officials said specialised teams used boats and other rescue equipment during the operation, while the area around the bridge remained under observation. Police have taken cognisance of the incident and started an investigation to ascertain the identity of the boy and the circumstances leading to the incident.
The search operation is expected to continue on Friday morning with the first light of day—(KNO)
