SWAT: A woman and her minor son drowned on Saturday in Swat River after falling from a locally-made chairlift in Mankyal area of Bahrain Tehsil here.
ASI Ismail Khan, in-charge Police-Post Mankyal, informed that the accident took place when Rashida, wife of Bahadur, was taking her four-month-old son Owais Khan to hospital in a locally-made chairlift over Swat River. The woman’s parents and a brother were also riding in the chairlift when her four-month-old infant son slipped off her lap and fell into Swat River. The woman also jumped into the river to save the child and both the woman and son were taken away by gushing water.
Soon after the incident, rescue personnel, police and local divers have launched operation to fish out bodies of the woman and her minor son.
As there is no connecting bridge over River Swat in the upper areas of Swat and people have no other option but to use locally-made chairlift to across the river. These lifts are causing accidents every day due to insecurity. The local people have demanded the higher authorities to take immediate notice of the situation and construct communication bridges over River Swat in the area.
