Two deceased border guards found in the Panj River after 4 days

The bodies of servicemen who drowned several days ago in the Panj River were found on July 28. This was reported by Radio Ozodi, citing its sources.

According to the publication, rescuers from the Committee for Emergency Situations of Tajikistan discovered the bodies of 23-year-old officer Yorakhmad Kurbonaliyev and 19-year-old private Bilol Karimov in the Panj River.

It is reported that the servicemen of the border service, who were stationed at a border checkpoint in the Farhor district of the Khatlon region, fell into the Panj River.

An informed source in the Khatlon regional office of the Committee for Emergency Situations told Radio Ozodi that the bodies of the two servicemen were sent to the city of Kulyab for forensic examination.

According to fellow villagers of Bilola Karimov, the bodies of the border guards were found on the bank of the Panj River in the territory of the village of Hisor in the Farhor district. They stated that the strong current carried the bodies approximately two kilometers downstream from the incident site.

Earlier, a source in the law enforcement agencies of the Khatlon region reported that the incident occurred while the servicemen were performing their official duties. According to the source, the border guards were trying to escort Afghan gold miners from a small island located in Tajikistan. Official authorities have not yet commented on the incident.

This is not the first such case. Given that a significant portion of the Tajik-Afghan border runs along the Panj River, several Tajik border guards have also died in previous years while performing their official duties on this river. The strong current of the river and the challenging conditions of border service in border areas are considered factors that increase the risk of such incidents.