Three drown trying to save mentally deranged man in Ghizer

GILGIT: At least three people, including a woman and a 10-year-old girl, drowned to death while trying to save a mentally deranged man who allegedly attempted suicide in the Hatun area of Ghizer district, Gilgit-Baltistan, on Friday.

Ghizer District Police Officer (DPO) Abdus Sammad confirmed to HUM News English that Abdul Sadiq, a 55-year-old resident of Darmander currently living in Hatun, jumped into the Ghizer River in the Hatun Khari area in an apparent suicide attempt.

Relatives — Mashroof, Khalida and Afsana, also from Darmander — jumped in one after another to rescue him.

While Abdul Sadiq was successfully saved, Mashroof, Khalida and Afsana drowned. The victims were identified as the Sadiq’s daughter, granddaughter, and brother-in-law. He said their bodies were later recovered from the river and taken to the hospital before being released for burial.

Ghizer Rescue and Safety Officer Raja Ajmal Nazir, who was supervising the search and rescue operation, told HUM News English that Rescue 1122 responders acted swiftly upon receiving the distress call and rescued the 55-year-old man from drowning.

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He said two bodies were recovered shortly after the incident, while the third was found later. “Four people were involved — one was saved, and three bodies were retrieved,” he said.

When asked about the circumstances, Nazir admitted the exact circumstances remained unclear but cited eyewitness accounts saying the victims drowned during the rescue attempt.

He said that the rescued man’s condition suggested he was mentally unstable.

Suicide remains a grim issue in the district, where at least 26 people – 13 men and 13 women — died by suicide last year alone.

Mental health experts link the crisis to economic hardship, social isolation, and a lack of psychiatric care. With no proper mental health facilities in Ghizer, desperate individuals — and families trying to save them — are left vulnerable.