Schoolchildren Die in Boat Mishap on Jhelum River
Timely construction of a bridge could have preempted the accident.
The adage “prevention is better than cure” could never hold truer than in the case of a boat accident that has claimed the lives of several school children and their parents. Delays in the construction of a bridge over the River Jhelum in the Jammu and Kashmir capital of Srinagar caused the young school-goers to rely on the hazardous mode of using a boat. The fatal mishap occurred on Tuesday, April 16th, when a rope tethered to an overhead cable snapped, resulting in the vessel losing control... and many occupants, losing their lives.
Local authorities have not been able to determine the number of the dead yet. But the body count is estimated to be between 6 and 15. Among those confirmed dead are a 35-year-old mother Firdousa and her two small twins – Tanvir and Mudasir. Search and rescue operations commenced, but without much luck. Three persons aboard the ill-fated boat survived by swimming to the bank. Others are at a local hospital in stable condition. A witness named Doodnath saw the boat collide with an iron pillar of the work-in-progress bridge. Heavy rains have caused the river to swell and currents to increase.
Jammu and Kashmir has been under the Indian President’s Rule since 2018. Local politicians and people are disgruntled with the Centre’s administration and development of the troubled province. Two former J&K Chief Ministers - Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdulla (among other state politicians) have expressed their shock and dismay at the accident. These leaders have demanded an immediate probe into the incident and efforts to expedite the construction of the much-needed bridge. J&K is indeed in troubled waters... with even its young and innocent unable to keep their heads above water.
