Pakistani sisters drowned on June 11 varsity hike in UK, inquest informed

LONDON: Two sisters from Rawalpindi tragically drowned on June 11 during a visit to Eryri National Park in North Wales with university friends, an inquest has heard.

Hajra Zahid, 29, and Haleema Zahid, 25, were pulled from water pools along the Watkin Path, a popular route to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).

Their funeral prayers were offered in Northern England on Tuesday night, while their bodies were flown to Pakistan on Wednesday.

The sisters had arrived in the UK four months ago to pursue their master’s degrees at Chester University. 

Originally from Kahuta and raised in Gulzar-e-Quaid, Rawalpindi, they were living in Maltby, Rotherham. Hajra was married to Hasham Minhas, and they had two sons, aged six and three.

A relative told Geo News: “The family is shattered. The police and the university are making contradictory statements.

"The police say one sister drowned and the other drowned while trying to save her, but the body of one sister was found floating on the surface, and the other sister’s body was found ten minutes away.

"The witnesses say both entered the water together. The police have not informed us of anything and are not helping the family.”

Assistant coroner for north-west Wales, Sarah Riley, said: “Hajra and Haleema had travelled to the Nant Gwynant area with friends from university. “They have entered the water and sadly both died as a result of drowning.”

The University of Chester students were identified by a friend, the inquest was told.

Riley added: “Investigations continue in terms of how they came by their death, and the inquest is therefore adjourned to allow for completion of those investigations.

“I offer my sincere condolences to their family, friends and all who knew and loved them.”

The hearing, held at the Dafydd Orwig Chamber in Caernarfon, was told both women were pronounced dead shortly before 11pm on June 11.

A spokesman for North Wales Police said officers were called to Nant Gwynant, Gwynedd, at about 9.30pm after a report that one woman had been pulled from the water and another was said to be in the pools.

The second woman was pulled from the water but was pronounced dead at the scene, he added. A Llanberis mountain rescue team was sent to the area along with an air ambulance and a coastguard helicopter.

Vice-chancellor of the University of Chester, Professor Eunice Simmons, said: “The University of Chester community is in mourning for the tragic loss of Haleema and Hajra, and our heartfelt sympathies are with their families and friends during this incredibly difficult time.

“Haleema and Hajra had joined Chester Business School earlier this year on the Master’s in International Business course.

"They touched the lives of many here at Chester – their friends, the cohort on their course and the staff who taught them – and they will be deeply missed.”