The Srinagar Bridge will not be completed within 10 years. 6 Drowned in the river today

Families of the victims said their children would be alive if the bridge was completed

Srinagar:

A bridge in Srinagar that was supposed to be completed in a few years is still under construction after a decade. In the aftermath, six people died on Tuesday morning when a boat hit a pillar of a bridge under construction and a rope used to cross the river broke.

This morning, twins Tanvir and Muzamil Ahmed were taken to school on the ship by their mother as usual. But they ultimately failed to reach the school.

The 12-year-old twins drowned along with their mother when their boat hit a bridge pillar and overturned in swollen Jhelum at 7.30am, killing six people.

Their school bags were found a few kilometers downstream in Chattarbal.

The area has been hit by heavy rains over the past few days, causing river levels to rise.

Bilal Mohiudin Bhat of Srinagar said: “We are in the process of ascertaining the exact number of people on the capsized boat. As of now, we know that there are 15 people, seven of whom are minors. 12 People have been rescued. Six people died and six others are receiving treatment in the hospital,” the district magistrate said.

Rescue operations are underway after the boat capsized

Families of the victims said their children would be alive if the bridge, which started construction in 2013, was completed.

Floods in 2014 brought construction to a standstill. Then there was a change of government, but not much was done in the last decade.

There are several other bridges in Jhelum that are still under construction after many years.

Locals complained that people were forced to take their children on boats even as the water in the Jhelum river was almost close to the danger line.

They complained that they had to take the same route whether it was winter or summer and on rainy days because the bridge not far from Srinagar city center could not be completed.

Neighbors are mourning.

The wait for families is agonizing as rescuers search for the missing.

Hundreds of people turned up in the Gambar community to attend the victims’ last rites.