QUETTA, Dec 31: A speedboat carrying 16 Pakistani fishermen capsized in the Arabian Sea, some 30 nautical miles from the Iranian coast, on Sunday.

The fishermen were coming to Jiwani, a coastal town of Balochistan, from Fasabin, in Iran, to celebrate Eidul Azha with their families.

“A body has been recovered while the boat and all other fishermen are missing,” Wahid Bakhsh, Nazim of Jiwani Tehsil, told Dawn on phone from Jiwani.

The body was identified as of Muslim son of Syed Mohammad. The body was handed over to heirs in Pishkan, a coastal village in Gwadar district.

According to sources, three speedboats, carrying Pakistani fishermen, left for Jiwani on

Saturday afternoon from

Fasabin. Two of the boats reached Jiwani in the early hours of Sunday while the third one, being steered by captain Abdul Rehman, failed to reach the destination.

On receipt of information about the incident, local fishermen and personnel of the Maritime Security Agency (MSA) launched a search operation in Bahoor area between Pakistan and Iran, said the nazim.

The search was in progress till our going to the press – albeit with no success.

Lt-Commander Hasnain of the MSA said that if required, a helicopter would be used in the search operation on Monday.