Srinagar- Nearly two years after the Jhelum swallowed a small boat and several lives at Gandbal, the river finally yielded the last missing name.

On Monday, local residents recovered the body of Showkat Ahmad Sheikh from the banks near Lasjan, bringing a prolonged and painful search to a close. 

For Sheikh’s family, the recovery marked an end to a waiting that had stretched across seasons, rituals, and unanswered prayers.

His mother, Rehti Begum, 70, was often seen visiting the banks of the Jhelum every morning, pleading for the safe return of her son. Locals recall her standing quietly by the river, offering prayers and refusing to give up, even as months turned into years. The tragedy had already taken another blow on the family, claiming the life of her grandson as well.  

The grim turn in the search came only days earlier. During routine sand mining in the riverbed, workers stumbled upon a severed human foot. It was Sheikh’s widow who confirmed the identity, recognising the shoe her husband had been wearing on the day of the accident. 

The tragedy dates back to April 16, 2024, when a boat carrying over a dozen people capsized in the Jhelum at Gandbal, near Lasjan. The river, swollen and unforgiving, claimed nine lives that day. Five passengers were rescued, while six bodies were recovered within hours of the accident. Two more were found soon after in a joint operation by the police and the Navy’s Marine Commandos.

Sheikh was the only one who never came back.

For nearly 21 months, his absence lingered as an unresolved chapter. Search teams returned repeatedly to the river, joined by local volunteers who refused to let the missing man become just another statistic. Each effort ended without closure, even as time eroded hope.

With Monday’s recovery, the Gandbal tragedy is finally complete on record. For those left behind, particularly a mother who returned to the river each day with folded hands, the loss remains unfinished, long after the Jhelum has flowed on.