MUZAFFARGARH, Aug 16: Five of the bodies were on Thursday recovered from the river Chenab from the place of super 1 and 3, about eight kilometres from the Chenab railway station where the boat sunk on Aug 14.
Six people went missing after the boat accident and the divers from the Mangla army fished out five of the bodies. They were identified as Mushtaq, Adnan, Umair Naveed and Abdul Hamid who belonged to Multan’s Mohallah Shareefpura. Adnan’s motorcycle and the boat were also found near the bridge.
According to the civil defence officials, they recovered Rs920 and identity card from Naveed’s pocket.
DOR Muhammad Ashraf Yussufi told Dawn that DCO Dr Akhtar Nazir Warraich had ordered him to search the bodies from the river.
There are 12 boatmen who operate their boats at the river in Muzaffargarh. Each boat is of ten feet and only three or four people can sit in it, but boatmen allow eight to 10 people charging Rs30 from each person.
No government department ever bothered to check overloading in these boats and anyone can operate them.
The civil defence has two divers to meet any emergency at the park while hundreds of the people visit the place on holidays. And the two divers don’t have the required facilities.
Muhammad Shafi, a diver, told Dawn that they had no oxygen kit or other swimming suits. They searched the bodies just wearing shorts and risked their own lives.
ILL-FATED BOAT: The boat that capsized on the Independence Day in the Chenab belonged to Mureed Baloch who runs six boats. For the national holiday he had specially decorated the boat on which he played national songs to let the picnickers enjoy.
Khalid, an eyewitness, said a group of 11 teenagers selected the boat because of its beauty. He said he was standing near the boat when they started bargaining with the boatman. They had come to park from Multan by six motorcycles for picnic at the park, but on return the traffic was jam on the road so they decided to cross the river on boat with motorcycles.
The boatmen demanded Rs1,400 for service, but they agreed on Rs900.
Khalid quoted one of the picnickers as saying jokingly, “please take us out if we drown”.
Mushtaq told this correspondent that his relatives, Umair and Zubair, came here for picnic and when they did not return home, he came here to confirm if they were among the missing boys.
He said at 11pm on Wednesday the Civil Defence officials and police left the search saying it was difficult for them to do the work at this time. All other boatmen went away during the serious situation at that time.