Thousands of volunteers and rescuers have been mobilized to search for an eight-year-old boy swept away by the current of the Sunzha River in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia. According to local media, the search area has been expanded to nearly 30 kilometers.
The tragedy occurred on June 15 near the village of Yandare. When one of the children resting by the river began to drown, eight-year-old Khizir threw himself into the water to save his friend. He managed to rescue his friend but was caught in a strong current and disappeared underwater.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Ingushetia, a total of 6,000 people have been involved in the search efforts, 4,500 of whom are volunteers.
It is noted that the volunteers came from Chechnya, Dagestan, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and other regions of the Caucasus. They are inspecting the riverbanks, participating in underwater searches, and assisting the rescuers.
Currently, the river has been divided into several sectors, with each area being inspected separately. To increase the efficiency of the search, certain sections of the Sunzha River have been temporarily dammed. Divers are manually checking every meter of the riverbed.
The boy's fate remains unknown for now.
