HARIPUR: The local people have recovered four decomposed bodies from the Tarbela Lake near Brug village of Bait Gali union council, the police said here on Tuesday.

The bodies were seen by locals floating near the Tarbela Dam as the water level continued to recede. Police believe the bodies, though beyond recognition, could be from among the 18 missing passengers who drowned after a boat capsized about 20 months ago.

The Ghazi police officials said some villagers were fishing near the dam on Tuesday afternoon when they spotted the remains of four human bodies and informed the police.

The police and area people fished out the bodies and shifted them to the Haripur Trauma Centre.

The officials said family members of Master Duriyaman, one of the missing passengers of the ill-fated boat, claimed to have identified his body from the pieces of clothes he was wearing. However, the rest of the bodies including that of a minor boy were unclaimed.

A Haripur-bound boat carrying 38 passengers, including six women and children, eight bulls and heavy luggage, sank after losing balance, reportedly due to flooding and jumping of some bulls into the water.

The boat had left Judba, the district headquarters of Torghar district, on July 3, 2019. It capsized when it was about a nautical mile from Brug village.

Four bodies of minor children were recovered the same day; 16 men swam to the Tarbela Lake bank, while 18 passengers are still missing. A month-long rescue and search operation by the divers of Tarbela Dam, Pakistan Navy and locals failed to trace their whereabouts.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2021