The body of 9-year-old Safiyakhon Rahmatova, who went missing over a month ago in Khujand, was discovered in a canal in the Sirdaryo region of Uzbekistan. The search for the girl was requested by the Uzbekistan Ministry of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Committee of Tajikistan.
According to an official letter addressed to the head of the Tajikistan Committee of Emergency Situations, Rustam Nazarzoda, from the Uzbekistan Minister of Emergency Situations, Abdullah Kuldashev, search operations were carried out by Uzbekistan's divers from March 2nd to 12th in the Sirdaryo River.
Local residents from nearby villages of the Shirin district in the Sirdaryo region were also involved in conducting shoreline inspections.
The body of the girl has been handed over to the morgue of a medical institution in the Boyavud district of the Sirdaryo region in accordance with Uzbekistan's legislation, and will later be released to her relatives.
The confirmation of Safiyakhon's body being found in Uzbekistan was made by "Asia-Plus" and the head of the Khujand Committee of Emergency Situations, Mirzorakhim Abdulloev.
Safiyakhon Rahmatova disappeared in Khujand on February 7, 2024. She was last seen in a video captured on Rahmon Nabiev Street near Kamoli Khujandi Park on the banks of the Sirdaryo River. Her home is located in that area. The video shows her running along the roadside and descending towards the riverbank before disappearing.
Throughout February, search efforts for the missing girl were conducted by the emergency situations headquarters of Khujand and the Sughd region, involving divers from the rapid response unit of the city and regional departments.
The search involved not only KCHS divers but also volunteers and concerned citizens of Khujand, who actively shared missing person alerts on social media platforms.
Despite initial doubts from the Sughd KCHS administration due to lack of evidence, Safiyakhon's parents remained convinced that their daughter had drowned.
