Kazakh and Afghan specialists joined search for vehicle carrying late GBAO governor

Specialists from Kazakhstan and Afghanistan assisted Tajik rescuers in searching for the vehicle carrying Alisher Mirzonabot, the late Governor of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), after it plunged into the Panj River.
Rajabali Rahmonali, head of Tajikistan’s Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (CES), disclosed the details at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 16.
He said the powerful current in the section of the river where the accident occurred had significantly complicated the operation.
Rescuers deployed all available personnel and equipment, but the committee lacked specialized technology capable of detecting underwater objects in such conditions.
The committee therefore requested assistance from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. A team of Kazakh specialists travelled to Tajikistan and attempted to locate the submerged vehicle.
«They were working on the Panj River for the first time and also confirmed how strong the current was. Because of the difficult conditions, they were unable to determine the vehicle’s location,» Rahmonali said.
He thanked the Kazakh rescuers for their assistance, adding that the operation had demonstrated the need for specialized equipment. The committee plans to acquire such technology with support from development partners.
Rescuers also cooperated with the Afghan authorities during the search.
Two-year-old child remains missing
The active phase of the search operation lasted 20 days. Rescuers recovered the bodies of four occupants, but the body of Mirzonabot’s two-year-old daughter has not yet been found.
«The search for the child’s body is continuing. Work is still under way at the scene,» Rahmonali said.
Citing information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he said the driver had been travelling at high speed and lost control of the vehicle.
«The vehicle struck engineering structures along the border and then fell into the Panj River,» he said.
The accident occurred on June 17 on the Dushanbe–Khorog highway. The vehicle was carrying Mirzonabot, his wife Amina Amonulloyeva, their daughter Arifa Mirzonabotzoda, an aide and the driver.
The bodies of the governor, his wife, the aide and the driver were subsequently recovered.
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