HARIPUR, Oct 9: The body of a minor girl, who had drowned in the Tarbela lake along with six other children last month, was found floating near the lake’s bank here on Wednesday evening, police said.

The body was later handed over to the relatives by the local administration.

An overloaded motorboat carrying 19 picnickers had capsized in the lake near village Nara, Khalabat Township, some nine kilometres off the bank on Sept 21.

The bodies of three children, namely Ayesha Bibi, 10, and Sundas Bibi, 11, daughters of Dr Col Jawar Bhatti, and Syed Mohasib Shah, son of Syed Nisar Hussain Shah, resident of Thipra Haripur, were fished out by local divers. They had also rescued 13 children and women.

However, the bodies of three children, namely seven-year-old Lala Rukh, daughter of Taimoor Zafar, resident of Islamabad, six-year-old Syed Uzair Shah, son of Syed Nisar Hussain Shah, and a three-month-old baby boy could not be found despite efforts by the divers of Pakistan Navy, Wapda and the locals.

On Wednesday evening, some ferry operators fished out the girl’s body when they spotted it floating in the lake. They informed the Khalabat township police about this, who in turn contacted families of all the victims.

A family identified the body as that of Lala Rukh, and received it.