Srinagar: Seven tourists were rescued on Thursday from a sinking houseboat in Jammu and Kashmir’s Dal Lake by the owner of the houseboat. The houseboat named ‘Kolahoi’ started sinking Thursday morning after incessant rains in the Valley during the last four days.
Reports said that the owner of the houseboat, Muhammad Yusuf, was the first to notice water seeping in. Then he and his members quickly evacuated the seven tourists residing in the houseboat without caring for their own safety.
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Yusuf told the media that he cared for the safety of his guests more than he did for his own family. He pointed out that his priority was the evacuation of the tourists as they had paid money to stay in the houseboat. Yusuf said that he could not abandon the tourists as it would create a bad name for the entire clan of houseboat owners. So he first called for help and rescued the tourists and then took his family ashore.
The houseboat owners in Dal and Nigeen Lakes and those stationed on the Jhelum waters have been requesting the J&K the government for assistance to repair their properties. Most of the houseboats have been lying in disuse because of the lack of tourist traffic in the Valley for the past few years.
However, with the Covid-19 situation slowly improving, the number of tourists has increased substantially in the Valley this year. A large number of them have rented out houseboats to have a gala time.