Three die of thirst near Nokundi

Deceased persons were trying to enter Iran illegally

CHAGAI:

At least three persons died of thirst last week near Nokundi in Balochistan’s Chagai district.

The deceased persons were trying to sneak into Iran without valid travel documents. According to sources familiar with the matter, a pick-up driver had abandoned the travellers in a desolate area. However, four of them managed to survive.

Rana Irfan, who lost a brother, a nephew and a cousin in the tragedy, lodged a complaint with the administration of Taftan.

He stated that Saeed, a human smuggler, demanded Rs350,000 to transport each person into Iran despite agreeing earlier to a payment amounting to Rs11,000.

“As the driver was the smuggler’s brother, he left all the seven persons in an abandoned place,” said Irfan. After struggling for 36 hours in search of a road or an inhabited area to find drinking water, three persons died one by one,” a disheartened Irfan recalled.

Four others were rescued by other smugglers and they reached their homes safely.

Irfan appealed the authorities to help him in retrieving the bodies of his brother and nephew as he could not afford the expenditure. Nokundi Tehsildar Muhammad Hashim Kurd said one unidentified body had been brought to the rural healthcare centre.

Upon being inquired over whether the administration would take action against the alleged human smugglers, Kurd said he had not received any such complaint so far.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2021.