Death toll from boat capsize rises to 8

Vessel yet to be located in Sutlej river

OKARA:

The death toll from a boat accident in the Sutlej river increased to eight on Saturday.

Among the 45 people onboard the boat, 33 were rescued, while the search for the remaining passengers continued. Rescue teams and the police handed over the bodies to the families of the deceased.

Officials said the boat that had capsised in the river had yet to be located.

A joint rescue operation, led by Deputy Commissioner Dr Muhammad Zeeshan Hanif, is being carried out by the district administration, Pakistan Army commandos, Rescue 1122 and the police.

The boat was on the way from Sujike in Deepalpur tehsil of Okara district to Bari Hatar in Bahawalnagar district. In addition to the passengers, it carried 30 bags of chemical fertilisers and about 20 motorcycles.

The accident occurred three days ago when the boat collided electric poles and wires in Sujike and sank.

Officials said they were still striving to locate the capsised boat.

Among the victims were five-year-old Faizan, 45-year-old Taslim, 63-year-old Aslam, 35-year-old Arshad, eight-year-old Zara Fatima, daughter of Azam, 40-year-old Muhammad Ashraf, 10-year-old Jawaria and Ghulam Rasool.

The officials said the search for the remaining missing people continued, although the hope of finding them alive was diminishing with each passing day.

A large number of personnel from the health department were also deployed for the rescue work.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2023.