KHAIRPUR, Aug 3: Three girls and an elderly woman, all belonging to a family, drowned when their boat capsized in Kheerthar Canal near Sukkur on Thursday evening. Reports said that 16 persons of the same family had gone to Sukkur for shopping in connection with the marriage of one Akhtiar Hussain Abro scheduled for Saturday. While they were returning home in Bihar colony on a boat, it capsized. Twelve of them were rescued by people present on the spot. However, Bhawal, 60, Amina, 6, Musarrat 15, and Hurmat, 16, drowned in the canal.

Divers recovered the body of Ms Bhawal late Thursday night and those of Amna and Musarrat on Friday. However, the body of Hurmat could not be recovered.

Mukhtiar fell unconscious after receiving the news and was taken and admitted to the Sukkur Civil Hospital.

The family, originally from the Shikarpur district had settled in Bihar colony few years ago.