Five youngsters’ bodies recovered from Chenab after 18-hour search

LAHORE: Rescue 1122 officials recovered the bodies of five young individuals who tragically drowned in the Chenab River during a picnic near Ganga Pattan in Muzaffargarh on Sunday. The youngsters were reportedly making TikTok videos by the riverbank when the incident unfolded, according to a rescuer.

Nine friends had gathered at the river for their outing, but one of them accidentally slipped into the water. Four others jumped into the river to attempt a rescue, but all five ultimately drowned. The deceased were identified as Muhammad Ali, Rana Usman, Malik Ahmad, Abdul Rehman, and Muhammad Makki.

A surviving friend recounted that they were tossing mud at each other when one of them slipped into the river while trying to collect some. The group tried to rescue the youngster but was unsuccessful, with all four rescuers also falling victim to the current. The survivor further revealed that none of them possessed swimming skills.

Rescue 1122 teams, led by District Emergency Officer Ubaidullah Khan, conducted a 18-hour search operation to recover the bodies. The operation involved 42 rescuers, comprising 13 swimmers and 12 divers operating four rescue boats. Mr Khan emphasized the challenging nature of the search, stating that the river's depth ranged from 35 to 40 feet with a flow of between 5,000 and 6,000 cusecs.

After the completion of legal procedures, the bodies were handed over to the families of the deceased.