Ganderbal, Sep 7: Two persons, including a 19-year-old youth and a girl, drowned in a power canal in the Thune area of Kangan in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as Ishtiyaq Ahmad Khai, son of Mohammad Sharif Khai, a resident of Thune Kangan, and the daughter of Mumtaz Ahmad, a resident of Hari Gani.

Soon after the incident was reported, teams from Kangan Police and the State Disaster Response Force, along with local residents, launched a search operation in the canal.

The bodies of both victims were subsequently recovered from the water.

The circumstances that led to the incident remain unclear. Authorities have not yet established how the two persons entered the power canal.

The latest incident comes amid several drowning and body-recovery cases reported from the Thune-Kangan stretch of the power canal this year.

In February, two brothers from Thune Kangan fell into the canal. While one was rescued, the other, identified as Tanveer Ahmad Tedwa, was swept away while attempting to rescue his brother. His body was later recovered following a search operation.

In May, the body of a 19-year-old girl who had been missing for several days was recovered from the canal at Thune after a search operation along the Sumbal-Kangan stretch.

In June, two persons drowned in the power canal in the Gund area of Kangan. Rescue teams later recovered both bodies from separate locations along the canal.

Earlier in April, the body of an unidentified man was also recovered from the canal at Thune.

The repeated incidents have raised concerns over safety along the power canal, with local residents having previously highlighted the risks posed by its depth. A 2021 report had also documented several drowning deaths involving teenagers in the area.

Further details regarding Monday's incident are awaited.