From the North Caucasus to Central Asia: the body of a drowned 6-year-old boy was found in Kyrgyzstan

A tragedy has unfolded in Kyrgyzstan that is in many ways reminiscent of the story of 8-year-old Khizir Derbichev from Ingushetia. Then, without exaggeration, millions of people in the North Caucasus, Russia and Central Asian countries followed the search for the boy with anxiety and hope. Thousands of volunteers from the republics of the North Caucasus took part in the search operation. People from Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan also came to Ingushetia to support Khizir’s family and express condolences.

On June 23, two families came to rest in the Kegetinsky gorge of the Chui region of Kyrgyzstan. While the men, having parked the car on a slope, went to find a place to rest, the car with the remaining passengers in it fell off the slope and fell into a stormy mountain river.

Two women and three children managed to get out, but a 12-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy were carried away by the current. By the evening of the same day, rescuers discovered the girl’s body, and the search for the boy continued for several more days.

From the first hours, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the police of Kyrgyzstan were involved in the operation. Local residents, family relatives and numerous volunteers also participated in the search. The search area was expanded tens of kilometers downstream of the river.

Strong currents, muddy water, rocky riverbeds and inaccessible mountainous terrain seriously complicated the work of rescuers.

On Thursday, the number of participants in the operation grew to several hundred people. Volunteers from Kazakhstan arrived to help. Many began to draw parallels with the recent tragedy in Ingushetia, where thousands of people followed the search for Khizir Derbichev. And now the Caucasians sincerely sympathized with the Kyrgyz family, sharing their grief.

On the afternoon of June 26, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan announced the discovery of the body of a six-year-old boy and the official completion of the search and rescue operation.

The tragedy caused a deep response far beyond the borders of Kyrgyzstan. Residents of Kazakhstan, the republics of the North Caucasus and other regions followed the development of events. On social networks, people expressed support for the family and hope for a successful outcome.

This story was received especially sharply in the North Caucasus. Chechens, Ingush and other repressed peoples have historical ties with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: in 1943-1944 they were forcibly deported to these republics, where they spent 13 years.