LARKANA: Six bodies were fished out when Pakistan Navy divers joined local people on Saturday morning in their efforts to locate and rescue missing occupants of a boat that had capsized in the Indus at Balhreji ferry point late on Friday evening.

The boat was carrying 30 people when it dashed against the left bank while it was being anchored at the point. It also carried some motorcycles on board.

Survivors told rescuers that the boat was transporting passengers back to the ferry point from the traditional festival of Muhbann Pir, located on the left bank of the Indus, when it struck the bank and then overturned due to being overloaded while being anchored.

Those whose bodies were fished out were identified as Mohammed Daud Channa, 30, Gulzar Ali Channa, 33, Syed Hamid Shah, 52, Sono Khan, 15, Daim Ali Siyal, 19 and Sajjad, 15.

Seventeen people managed to swim ashore and seven others were still missing, officials at the Fatehpur police station said on Saturday evening. They identified the missing people as Abdul Majeed Hesbani, 29, Gulsher Channa, 55, Shahnawaz Channa, 32, Kojho Sago Mal, 25, Dildar Ali Mallah, 50, Khalid Hussain Ghanghro and Irshad Kharal.

PN divers from Sukkur had arrived at the site of the incident around midnight but the rescue efforts had to be put off till dawn due to darkness, it was stated.

Senior Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Sukkur Commissioner Abbas Baloch (who also holds the charge of Larkana division), Larkana Deputy Commissioner Kashif Tepu, DIG Abdullah Shaikh and SSP Sajid Amir Saduzai supervised the rescue efforts.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2017