RAHIM YAR KHAN: At least 19 women and two children drowned while several others went missing after a boat carrying more than 100 wedding guests capsized in the Indus River near Machka police limits, some 65km from here, on Monday.

More than 100 participants of a Solangi clan marriage party were coming back from union council Khrore — in the riverbed area of tehsil Rojhan in district Rajanpur — to Hussain Bakhash Solangi village in Machka UC of Sadiqabad when the boat capsized, apparently due to overloading and high tide.

According to Rescue 1122 sources, they received a call from the Machka police station house officer that a boat carrying over 100 passengers had capsized.

A handout said that 90 passengers were rescued by locals and the district administration while 19 women and two children’s bodies were also recovered.

RYK Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza told Dawn that more than 80 passengers were rescued, 19 bodies of women passengers recovered and search was in progress for the remaining missing people.

He said 35 divers of Rescue 1122 were taking part in the search operation with the help of local divers.

The Rescue 1122 statement said their personnel immediately reached the spot with five ambulances, water rescue van and 30 rescuers.

However, Sadiqabad Assistant Commissioner Saleem Asai put the death toll at 23, including 19 women and four children.

Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz has ordered the district administration to speed up the rescue operation.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah have directed the administration of Kashmore district — Sindh’s nearest area to Sadiqabad — to provide all possible assistance in the search operation and use the services of divers from Pakistan Navy in case of need.

According to Rescue in-charge, the operation was stopped due to darkness and will resume on Tuesday morning.

Machka is known as an area of Mazari Sardars. According to some locals, more than 150 passengers on two boats were on their way for a wedding ceremony and both boats were moving against the tide. One boat was overloaded and the boatman could not control the balance and it overturned.

The groom Shehzad, along with his mother were among the passengers who were rescued by the residents.

The locals said residents of the riverine area have relatives across the river and they have been using boats for transportation for the last many years because the bridges on the Indus at Guddu and Bangla Ichha were quite a long way from their area.

They said the wedding party was crossing the Indus strip from this location because it was considered safe. The neighbouring areas are notorious for gangsters who kidnap people for ransom.

Police spokesperson Saif Ali Wains told Dawn that initially, a Machka team reached the spot and rescued more than 45 passengers with the help of locals. He said initial information about the incident was received quite late because the site was in the middle of the river and there was no cell phone reception in the area.

APP reported that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his deep grief over the loss of precious lives. In a statement via his Twitter handle, the prime minister prayed for the departed souls.

Qurban Ali Khushik in Dadu also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2022