FAR from the chaos of the urban areas, we tend to forget that accidents can take place anywhere, and involve any manner of transport. The tragedy that took place off the coast of Thatta in Sindh on Thursday comes as a grim reminder of this reality. A boat carrying devotees to the shrine of Meenh Pathai — which is located on an island — for an annual festival and pilgrimage capsized near Mirpur Sakro. The boat was some 10 nautical miles away from the coast, and the accident is said to have been caused by the strong winds blowing across the open seas. The vessel capsized as the crew lost control of it. By Friday morning, when rescue teams called off their operations, over 20 bodies had been pulled out from the sea. Almost 50 people were rescued of the approximately 70 who are believed to have been on the boat when it capsized — this is the usual capacity of the sort of boats that are used by the local communities here, although there have been conflicting reports in the media regarding the exact number of people who were on board.

Those that died were among the poorest of the poor, mostly hailing from settlements along the coastal belt. And the most unfortunate part of this tragedy — one that makes the loss of life even more unbearable — is the fact that with just a little more organisation and state oversight, it may well have been preventable. For one thing, those sailing were headed for an annual pilgrimage and the authorities should have had this event on their radar, especially when it is no secret that the seaworthiness of the boats available to these communities is always questionable, as is the level of training of the crews. Then, the tendency to overload, especially on a festive occasion, is rampant. Where there is much talk about accidents on urban thoroughfares, it should not be forgotten that other modes of transport, too, deserve oversight.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2017