DADU: At least four people drowned in the River Indus while two women were rescued after their boat capsized near Budhapur town of Jamshoro district, officials said on Saturday.

Two women were rescued and four bodies were recovered while the search was under way for the remaining ones till the late evening hours.

SSP Jamshoro Tauqir Mohammad Naeem told Dawn that eleven persons were returning from Matiari district to their native village Dara Machhi on a boat when it keeled over near Budhapur town.

“The deceased belonged to the Machhi community of village Dara Machhi,” said SSP Jamshoro-Budhapur.

The Manjhand police along with relatives of the deceased launched a rescue and search operation soon after the incident, the SSP added.

Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner retired Captain Fareeduddin Mustafa said the incident took place at 7.30pm on Saturday. He said the deceased included women. He said divers of the Pakistan Navy were also part of the search operation.

Budhapur police SHO Sain Bakhsh Chandio said that two women were rescued. They were identified as Halima and Marvi.

He also gave names of the two deceased women — Popri and Asat Machhi, both aged 40. The officer believed strong winds caused the incident.

Four boats and 24 divers took part in the rescue operation, he said, adding that they were facing difficulty because of darkness.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2019