Boat capsizes near Keti Bandar, one dead and one missing

Eight hunters from Karachi, Keti Bandar swept into sea as rough weather overturns boat

KARACHI:

At least one person has died and another remains missing after a boat capsized near Keti Bandar in Sindh, police and maritime officials said on Wednesday.

The accident occurred near Keti Bandar when a boat carrying eight people overturned in rough sea conditions. The passengers had travelled from Karachi to hunt birds and fish in the area, officials said.

Local fishermen rushed to the scene after learning of the incident and managed to rescue six people alive. Two people were initially reported missing after the boat overturned due to what officials described as strong waves and bad weather.

According to the Maritime Security Agency, a search and rescue operation was launched immediately at the site of the accident. During the operation, six people on board the boat were rescued, while the body of one victim, identified as Zaheer Ahmed, was recovered from the sea.

Read: One dead, several missing as boat sinks near Gwadar

One person, identified as Waheed Bakhsh, remains missing, and search efforts are continuing, officials said.

Authorities said five of the victims were from Karachi, while three belonged to Keti Bandar. The capsized boat was also recovered during the rescue operation.

Officials said the accident was likely caused by strong winds. The victims were engaged in recreational hunting of birds and fishing near Keti Bandar at the time of the incident.

In a similar incident in July, one person was killed and four others were reported missing after a fishing boat from Karachi capsized near the coast of Gwadar in Balochistan. The boat had departed from Karachi and was carrying six fishermen from Ibrahim Hyderi, Ali Akbar Shah Goth and Machhar Colony. The vessel overturned under unknown circumstances, prompting a search and rescue operation.