J-K boat mishap: 7 jawans rescued, 2 still missing

Seven out of the nine army jawans who were trapped in flood waters after a boat on a rescue mission capsized in flood-affected Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Saturday have been rescued.

Seven out of the nine army jawans who were trapped in flood waters after a boat on a rescue mission capsized in flood-affected Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Saturday have been rescued.

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According to officials, 11 personnel deployed at Kakapora in south Kashmir's Pulwama were on a rescue mission when the incident took place in the Rajpura area. While two of them managed to escape, nine got trapped.

After a long search opration, the army has been able to rescue seven jawans, while search is on for the missing two.

"The jawans were on a rescue mission. They were moving out in a boat when it capsized. Seven of them have been rescued. Reports that they got washed away were not correct," said an army official. "Search is on for the other two."

The official said the jawans were located on the banks of Jehlum when the embankment gave away.

Meanwhile, the situation in the state continues to be grim with a red alert being issued for parts of south Kashmir and low lying areas of Srinagar as the Jhelum has breached its embankment in Pulwama. Most parts of all the five districts in the Valley remain deluged.

Over 100 people have lost their lives in the past two days in heavy rains and floods. Traffic on the Jammu-Pathankot highway has been stopped after incessant rain.

More than 6,000 people have been evacuated in the last three days by army and state police. About 73 columns of army including 13 engineers have helped evacuate people to safety.

The army, IAF and National Disaster Response Force have been pressed into service.

Home minister Rajnath Singh visited the state on Saturday to take stock of the flood situation and held talks with chief minister Omar Abdullah.