• Two rescued students hospitalised in ‘critical condition’
• Varsity claims picnic for 150 students was planned at Hawkesbay, 15 of them went to Manora on their own
• Says recreational activity was part of annual events held for graduating students

KARACHI: Three students drowned in the sea on Wednesday while two others were rescued as a picnic of final-year students of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) turned into a tragedy, police and the varsity administration said.

South DIG Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the incident occurred at Manora Beach around noon when one student began to drown while swimming. Four of his friends rushed to help him but were also taken away by the strong currents.

The deceased were identified as Mohammed Asharib, 24, Ahmed Kashif, 23, and Ashad Abbas, 23. The two rescued students, Rizwan, 24, and Majeed, 24, were taken to a hospital and were in a “critical condition”.

The police said a beach hut had been booked in the name of a navy official, whose son, Asharib, was among those who lost their lives.

DUHS version

A statement issued by the DUHS administration said the drowned youths were final-year students at the Dow Medical College. The picnic was part of the annual events held for the graduating students.

“It is a long-standing tradition for each final-year batch to spend a week celebrating various events, including a qawwali, dress show and picnic. The picnic was part of this tradition,” said the statement.

It added that as per the arrangements, a total of 150 students had gone to the picnic near Hawkesbay Beach in the university’s bus, accompanied by security guards.

However, 15 students from the same batch separately planned another picnic at PNS Himalaya, Manora. “It has been reported that the venue [a hut] was booked by the father of one of the students, where the group went to enjoy their outing,” it added.

The DUHS said that the administration had arranged for 150 students to travel to Hawkesbay with security guards and all necessary safety measures. However, the college administration and the principal of Dow Medical College were not informed about the separate Manora picnic organised by the 15 students. “The students who went to Hawkesbay returned safely to the college, while the tragic incident occurred at Manora,” it added.

The university has also announced that a condolence meeting in memory of the martyred students will be held on Friday (tomorrow) at 9am in the Moin Auditorium on the campus.

Man dies by suicide after murdering wife

A young man ended his own life after murdering his wife in Malir City on Wednesday, police said.

They added that Zeeshan Haroon, 35, died by suicide after strangling his wife, Sana, 30, inside their home in Burhani Town.

Malir City SHO Adeel Shah, quoting the son of the deceased, said the couple lived in the upper portion of the house while their children lived on the ground floor.

On the day of the incident, Zeeshan prepared breakfast for his children in the morning. When the children asked about their mother, he told them she was asleep and that they should not disturb her. After having breakfast with them, Zeeshan went to his room on the upper floor, where he strangled his wife with the help of her dupatta. Later, he hanged himself in the same room with the help of a rope.

The officer attributed “family issues” as the probable motive for the incident. The bodies were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2025