Two youths rescued from drowning in J-K’s Kishtwar

In a swift and daring action lasting nearly five hours, Army and Police rescued two youths trapped in the middle of the fast-flowing Chenab river in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Sunday.

Suneel and Bablu got stuck in the river while attempting to cross it in their JCB (earth-mover) at remote Shol village in the Paddar area late Saturday evening, the officials said.

The officials said soldiers of 17 Rashtriya Rifles of the Army joined the police after getting information about the incident through civil administration.

The water level kept rising and the fast flow of the river posed difficulty in the rescue operation, they said, adding the two army personnel made a daring attempt to cross the river by rappelling using a rope tied for alignment of the bridge.

Both the youths who were sitting on the roof of the vehicle were finally rescued in pitch dark night, the officials said.