Two teenagers drown in Jhelum river

Two teenagers drowned in Jhelum river in downtown Srinagar while trying to retrieve a cricket ball, prompting authorities to launch an operation to search for their bodies.
Mohammad Haseeb Bhat of Khanyar and Faizan Malik of Sonwar were playing cricket at Pather Masjid in Zaina Kadal locality yesterday when the ball fell into the river, a police spokesman said.
The boys, both aged 16, slipped into the Jhelum river while trying to retrieve the ball and got drowned, he said, adding that rescue parties, comprising of locals and police, immediately swung into action but failed to retrieve their bodies.
The spokesman said experts also joined the operation but so far, success eluded the rescuers.

Senior PDP leader and MLC Khurshid Alam visited the scene yesterday and asked police to intensify the rescue operation.
Expressing profound grief and sorrow over the incident, former Chief Minister and opposition National Conference Working President Omar Abdullah asked the administration to press in more boats and divers to recover the bodies of the teenagers.