THATTA: Two women died and three other persons were struggling for life after they consumed some poisonous substance to commit, what has been described as, ‘joint suicide’ in Qasim Tandio village near Garro town of Thatta district on Monday.

All the five persons fainted immediately after consuming the poisonous substance and were rushed to the Baghan rural health centre, where doctors referred them to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Complex in Karachi due to their precarious condition.

It was learnt in the evening that two women died during treatment at the JPMC. They were identified as Ms Maria, 28, and Ms Nazia, 35. The man and two other patients, whose names were not disclosed, were struggling for life, their relatives in the village said. They said a family dispute among them forced them to take the extreme step.

Baghan RHC medical superintendent Dr Dawood Otho told Dawn that as many as 35 cases of attempted suicide were reported at this facility — which caters to the healthcare requirement of people from around 60 coastal villages — over the last couple of months. Almost all of them tried to commit suicide by consuming some poisonous substance, he added.

The most common motives for their extreme step appeared to be depression and hopelessness caused by abject poverty, unbearable inflation, personal enmity and a lack of awareness to settle petty issues, said the doctor.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2023