Body of retired colonel swept away by floodwater in Islamabad recovered

RAWALPINDI, JULY 24 (DNA): Body of one of the two people who were swept away into a drain of a housing society in Islamabad has been recovered, rescue officials said on Thursday.

The rescue officials have confirmed the bodies are of of Colonel (retd) Ishaq Qazi and his 25-year-old daughter, who were travelling in a car when they were swept into a storm drain by floodwater on Tuesday.

With Col (retd) Qazi’s body recovered near a bridge on the Soan River, a search operation underway to find the girl who was also in the car, the rescuers added.

The retired military officer had left his house in a grey car with his daughter at 8:15am to drop off his daughter on Tuesday. However, their vehicle came to a halt due to the accumulated rainwater.

A warning was issued at that time regarding a cloudburst and as soon as the vehicle left the house, it was swept away by the water and fell into the storm drain, the housing society officials had said.

For two days, rescuers remained engaged in efforts to search for the father-daughter duo and even found their car’s bonnet and door under the Soan River Bridge.

Two days ago, the bumper of the car and the side mirror were found by the rescue teams.

A video, widely circulated on social media, showed Colonel Ishaq’s (retd) vehicle drifting away in flood water — leaving its occupants helpless.

The unfortunate incident is not an isolated accident, as heavy rains and resulting flash floods have wreaked havoc across Pakistan.

As per the stats issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the recent monsoon spell has so far caused 258 deaths, and 616 others have been wounded in various incidents.

Among the deceased are 89 men, 46 women, and 123 children. The injured include 243 men, 170 women, and 203 children, highlighting the widespread human toll caused by the ongoing weather emergency.

The showers have also caused extensive property and livestock damage. Over the last 24 hours alone, 22 houses were reported destroyed, and 36 livestock animals perished. Since the beginning of the monsoon season, a total of 1,027 houses have been demolished by the rains, while 364 animals have died.