17-yr-old drowns after falling into pit in Jalalabad

The victim slipped into a 40-ft pit that was brimming with floodwater.

A 17-year-old youth was feared drowned in a pit in a flooded field at a village under Jalalabad sub-division of Fazilka district on Friday even as villagers in Fazilka as well as Ferozepur districts continue to reel under floods.

A number of villages in Punjab remained submerged in water on Friday. (HT Photo)

“Victim Jagjit Singh along with a friend had gone to bring fodder for cattle. He slipped into a 40-ft pit that was brimming with floodwater,” said Jaswant Singh, father of the victim and a resident of Dhandi Kadim village, 12km from Jalalabad.

Victim’s friend raised an alarm and local administration deployed a rescue team, including NDRF personnel, to search for the victim.

Villagers said the pit was the result of illegal mining in the area.

Villages cut off

A number of villages, including Dhandi Kadim, Dhani Natha Singh, Peer Kee, Dhani Phoola Singh, Dhani Parbhat Singh utar, Dhani Parbhat Singh Hedar, Attu Wala and Sanyokh Wala, remained submerged in water on Friday. Most villages are cut off as the gushing water washed away the link road on Thursday.

“We have set up relief camp at the five badly hit villages in the district,” said Ferozepur deputy commissioner Chander Gaind.