RAWALPINDI: A massive search operation involving police, local residents. Rescue 1122 continued in the Westridge-III area for a seven-year-old boy who accidentally slipped into an open sewage drain and was swept away while playing in the street during rain on Wednesday night.
Wisal Farhad, son of Farhad Ali, aged seven. a resident of Gulistan Peker, Westridge-III, accidentally fell into a drain near Street No. 14 while playing and went missing on Wednesday night at about 8:15pm.
Farhad Ali, father of the missing boy, toldDawnthat his son was playing with other children during the rain on Wednesday night when he fell into a drain. disappeared. He said his son. a Grade-II student at a local school, had left home to play with other children when he fell into the uncovered sewerage nullah, which was filled with garbage.
He said that as his son fell into the nullah, he. local residents launched a search operation which continued until the wee hours of Thursday morning.
“Though I could not trace my son. the support of local residents was tremendous,” he said, adding that he believed his son’s body might be somewhere within a two-kilometre stretch.
He also appreciated the efforts of Rescue 1122, saying rescuers had been searching with sticks. with the support of divers.
He further said that he had spent money to arrange a loader. wooden planks to search for his son in the nullah and demanded that the authorities concerned clean and cover the drain to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Shortly after receiving the emergency call, Rescue 1122 dispatched five vehicles along with divers to the scene. launched a search operation for the missing boy. Rescue 1122 officials, police personnel and local residents continued the search operation. However, the child had not been recovered until Thursday night.
The rescue team resumed the search from the point where the child fell into the drain. extended the operation downstream. The Westridge police team remained at the scene, supervising the ongoing efforts.
Police said the search for the missing boy was continuing. urged the public to look for him in streets, houses and outhouses, as he might have wandered off while playing.
After efforts by local residents proved unsuccessful, the police were informed. The search operation was halted late on Wednesday night and resumed on Thursday.
Police said that after receiving an emergency call that seven-year-old Wisal Farhad had been swept away in a drain, Rescue 1122 divers. other staff launched efforts to retrieve the boy, who was carried away by the flow of water.
They said that due to adverse weather conditions, the search operation could not succeed until midnight.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif took notice of the incident in which a child reportedly fell into. drowned in a sewage drain near Westridge on IJP Road in Rawalpindi.
The chief minister directed the authorities concerned to utilize all available resources to locate the child. conduct the search operation on an emergency basis, according to a press release.
CM Maryam Nawaz also instructed the deputy commissioner Rawalpindi to personally monitor the rescue. search operation and ensure effective coordination among all relevant departments.
The chief minister sought minute-by-minute reports on the progress of the operation.
Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2026
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