In Jammu and Kashmir rafting event to honour hero, two drown

SRINAGAR: A rafting championship organised in memory of the Kashmiri guide who lost his life while saving five tourists from drowning last month culminated in another tragedy on Tuesday when a participant and another person died in a raft capsize in the Lidder river near Pahalgam.
The two victims were Rinku Raja, an employee of the Jammu & Kashmir tourism department, and participantSanjna, a resident of Reasi in Jammu.Eight others were injured.
Tuesday was the second day of the state-level championship named after Rouf Ahmad Dar, who drowned on the evening of May 31 while saving five tourists when their raft capsized. Twelve teams were competing in the event. A joint team of the Disaster Response Force, police and volunteers rescued the eight survivors. Rinku and Sanjna were dead by the time they were found, sources said.
According to the tourism department, the tragedy occurred when the two victims and eight others were taking a “joyride” on the raft on the sidelines of the event. An inquiry has been instituted.