HARIPUR: The divers of Pakistan Navy failed to recover the bodies of missing victims of the July 3 boat capsizing incident from Tarbela lake and left for their headquarters after a daylong search on Tuesday.

Deputy commissioner of Haripur district Arifullah Awan told Dawn that the rising level of water coupled with its muddy colour and lake silt hampered the divers’ operation.

After the boat capsizing incident on July 3, the divers from Pakistan Army and Rescue 1122 had begun search for missing passengers but they failed to recover a single body.

On the demand of the families, the Haripur DC requested the Pakistan Navy to send in divers for search operation.

The DC said the divers searched for bodies from the boat sinking point to the downstream near spillways of Tarbela dam, but to no avail due to the rising water level, muddy water colour, and silt accumulation in the lake.

He said the families demanded pulling back of the boat believing bodies would be stuck under it but when the rescuers tried to do so, the boat submerged in mud and silt.

The DC said the base camp set up for divers had also been inundated.

He said experts believed that the bodies would surface after the water level decreased but that won’t happen in the next couple of months.

The DC said the Tarbela lake was filled to its maximum conservation level by Aug 15 every year and the peak season had to stay for at least two months.

About engaging local divers, who knew about Tarbela lake and how to fish out bodies, the DC said he won’t endanger the life of a single person in light of the heavy flow of water.

“Only trained divers from government departments and armed forces are allowed to carry on search operation,” he said adding that the divers of Pakistan Army and Rescue 1122 would continue search for bodies.

As commissioner of Hazara division Zaheerul Islam asked the deputy commissioners of Torghar, Mansehra and Haripur districts to prepare SOPs for boating in Tarbela lake, the DC said SOPs for Haripur would be ready within two days before being shared with boatmen and administration for adherence.

SUICIDE: A man was found dead here, while a woman attempted to commit suicide.

Akhtar Gul, 21, was found dead near an under-construction factory in Hattar Industrial Estate on Monday evening with a bullet shot in the chest.

The family claimed the deceased had no rivalry.

The police began investigation after registering a case.

Meanwhile, a 33-year-old woman consumed a poisonous substance after having heated exchanges with husband in Sera-i-Saleh village. She was taken to the Truma Centre, whose doctors referred her to the Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad, due to critical condition.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2019