'Waited 17 years for her'; Harni Talav boat tragedy devastates Farooq-Rahima couple

AHMEDABAD: It’s now learned that the two children who drowned in the tragic boat accident in Gujarat are from the same family. The children’s fathers are blood brothers, while the funeral procedure was conducted on Saturday evening.

The daughter was born after 17 years of waiting for Farooq-Rahima couple. Two decades of prayers and vows were shattered by the tragic boat accident. Father Farooq was in London at the time of the accident. Farooq’s younger brother Haroon’s son is the other child who died in the accident.

14 students and 2 teachers died in a boat accident in Gujarat last Thursday. The accident took place at Harni Talav Lake in Vadodara around 4:30 pm. 23 students and four teachers were on the boat at the time of the accident.

The students and teachers of a private school called New Sunrise who had gone on a recreational trip were involved in the accident. It was reported that no one was using a life jacket at the time of the incident. The initial conclusion is that the boat overturned due to overcrowding. Expressing deep grief over the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.