The heart falls sick at the images, and yet we feel grateful that we bear witness. First, we bore witness to Alan Kurdi, the Syrian child found on the beach. And today, in Pakistan, we bear witness to Sara.

Photos of Sara’s body on a straw mat in floodwaters were quickly associated with Balochistan. But in truth, she was found on the bank of the Kabul River in Nowshera.

According to Rescue 1122, the body was found on Tuesday, July 26, by locals who alerted the rescue service who took her to the district headquarters hospital. The hunt then ensued to find her family.

She was eventually identified as Sara, daughter of Mubarak Gul. Her parents live at Hassan Ghari in ​​Peshawar. They told Aaj News that she fell into the canal outside the house and disappeared.

According to Mubarak Gul, four days ago, he went to his father-in-law’s house with his family, where his seven-year-old sister-in-law took his daughter out. That is when Sara fell into the canal.

Mubarak Gul said that the Rescue 1122 came half an hour late and did not have the equipment to go down into the canal. The waters were flowing faster than usual. A second vehicle arrived with more equipment but despite tries at different spots for two hours they were unable to find her.

Yakub, a friend of Mubarak Gul and a resident of Hassan Ghari, told Aaj News that due to the delay, many people from the area, including him, went down to look for the girl in the canal.

They tried looking for relatives with boats to help

According to Mubarak Gul, Sara fell into the canal at around 6 pm and the next day at 2 pm, was found dead by a boatman at the River Kabul in Nowshera. After he informed the police station, she was taken to a hospital in Pir Sabaq.

Mubarak Gul blames the government for his daughter’s death and said that children fall into the waters frequently as the bridges are not properly constructed. “The rescue teams were formed for emergencies,” he said, “if they cannot serve the people in an emergency, then what is the point?”