THATTA, Nov 7: Search is on for bodies of two sisters, one 22-year-old and the other four, who have been missing for four days after a boat capsized near the Bachal Soomro village of Keti Bunder taluka.

This was stated by the Thatta DCO to Minister for Planning and Development Shoaib Bukhari and Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information Salahuddin Haider here on Monday.

The DCO said that a total of 52 people were on the fishing boat, going to an island village to offer condolences on the death of a family member.

The boat after covering about one kilometre struck a sedimentary deposit and part of its lower portion cracked with water starting to fill in the boat.

The people rushed in panic to one side of the boat as a result it could not bear the weight and capsized.

Seventeen people survived the incident either by swimming to the shore or were rescued by divers who came to the site of the incident from the Keenjhar Lake after seven to eight hours.

The survivors included two little girls who had held on to the shrub under the water.

The bereaved families also included a sixty-four years old Pesh Imam whose nine family members drowned in the tragedy.

The minister and adviser appreciated the efforts of local divers and the Navy personnel for carrying out the rescue operation at the site.

They said that a request would be made to the Sindh chief minister for grant of a monetary compensation for the bereaved families.

They emphasized the need for use of life jackets and ensuring that the boats were not loaded with more passengers than the prescribed limit to avoid recurrence of such tragedy.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Heer Ismail Soho and MQM’s sector in-charge and unit members from Thatta and Gharo were present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, the Fishermen’s Cooperative Society will provide financial assistance to families of the boat incident victims.—APP