3 minor girls drown in Kupwara river, 2 rescued, hunt on to trace third one

Srinagar :Three minor girls Saturday drowned in a river at Jegerpora area in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district while two were rescued and the trace for the missing is still underway.
Officials said that two girls were rescued soon after the incident took place. “A joint rescue operation by SDRF J&K, Disaster Management, Police, Locals, and Revenue department was launched at the spot to trace the missing girl,” officials said.
They said that the rescue operation was intensified to trace the missing girls early.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Handwara Nazir Ahmad said that the continuation of the operation for night depends on the situation and condition. “Joint teams have been deployed there. Every measure is being taken to ensure the missing girl is retrieved.”
Tehsildar Handwara Shahbaz Ahmad who was part of the rescue said that the operation has been called off. “Given the night and darkness, the rescue operation has been called off. A huge number of people including children were there and for their safety, this measure was taken,” he said.
The river, he said, is overflowing due to the continuous rains.
“Rescue operation was called off and shall resume early tomorrow morning. Many other measures like traps at different places nearby have also been installed. Hopefully, the girl is rescued early,” he said.
He added that every possible measure is being provided