Four bodies retrieved from Tarbela Lake

Four bodies were recovered from Tarbela Lake on Tuesday which the officials believe to be of passengers of a boat that capsized in the lake some 18 months ago.

Over 20 passengers had gone after a boat had capsized in Tarbela Lake near Barg spot in July 2019. On that day, four bodies were fished out and 15 people were rescued alive out of 40 people present on the overloaded boat.

The boatmen, besides carrying excess passengers, were also hauling cattle in the boat. The Tarbela Dam’s reservoir was filled to the brim in the monsoon season and the rescue operation was abandoned due to low visibility. Ever since then, the heirs were in doubt whether their relatives were alive or dead.

Read Faith healer ‘severely tortures’ young man

On Tuesday, however, a boatman spotted bodies floating in the lake after which officials retrieved and shifted the decomposed remains to the DHQ Swabi.

According to hospital sources, one deceased was identified as a schoolteacher Master Durre Emaan from a plastic-coated service card found in his pocket. The remaining three have yet to be identified. Officials said that they had contacted the families of the people who had gone missing in the boat mishap. However, they said the bodies recovered were not that of their missing relatives.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2021.