22 stranded boat passengers rescued in Gojal Valley

PT Report

Shishkat, January 30: At least 22 passengers, including 6 women, were rescued to safety from the dammed Hunza River, in Gojal Valley.

According to details a boat carrying 22 passengers and a large amount of merchandise got stuck in the frozen waters of the dammed river, near Ayeenabad Village.

Police sources said that the passengers were stranded in middle of the lake for several hours since 3 O’clock in the afternoon before being rescued with the help of a raft engine operated by Pakistan Army. The rescued boat passengers have been shifted to Shishkat Village.

“The boat is still in middle of the lake. Only the passengers have been rescued”, an eye-witness told Pamir Times on phone.

It is pertinent to note that the ban imposed on boating in the dammed river had been lifted by the district administration after closure of the spillway for further excavation work.

Delays in mobilization of the rescue team has been highly condemned. The passengers were forced to stay inside the boat in sub-zero temperature for hours without any help.

The local people have termed the recently started chopper service an ‘eye-wash’ and protested against the government for ‘constantly telling lies about provision of round the clock facilities in the calamity hit region’.