Scuba divers and line search units to continue operation until the boy is located
Rescue teams continued their search on Monday for a six-year-old boy who fell into Nullah Leh in Rawalpindi, but the child remained missing despite three days of intensive rescue efforts.
According to Rescue 1122, the search operation will resume on Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred around 11am on Saturday in the Gulistan Colony area, when six-year-old Muhammad Zahid accidentally fell into the rain drain. In an attempt to save his son, the child’s father, 36-year-old Mehrban Khan, jumped into the fast-flowing water. However, both were swept away by the strong current.
Rescue 1122 water rescue teams rushed to the scene and launched a search operation. After several hours, rescuers recovered the body of Mehrban Khan from Nullah Leh, but the child could not be located before nightfall, forcing the operation to be suspended until Sunday morning.
The search resumed at first light on Sunday and continued throughout the day, but the boy remained missing. The operation was again halted after sunset and restarted on Monday morning. Despite an extensive search on the third consecutive day, rescuers were unable to trace the child.
District Emergency Officer Rescue 1122 Engineer Sibghatullah said the operation had been divided into three operational sectors to cover different stretches of the drain. Water rescue teams carried out scuba diving, boat searches, line searches and bank searches at multiple locations, but no breakthrough was achieved.
He said two diving teams and four line search teams are participating in the operation, adding that all available resources are being utilised and the search will continue until the child is found.
According to the locals, Mehrban Khan earned a living by selling roasted chickpeas and was the sole breadwinner of his family. He lost his life while trying to save his young son.
