Seven youth drown near Hawkesbay

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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This time of the year, Karachi has the most violent tides, and its really sad to see young people loose their lives every year… Not many people are aware of the fact that the beaches in Karachi during these months are extremely dangerous to visit, and swimming should be completely off limits, even though its hard to regulate beaches like Hawk’s Bay, Paradise Point and Clifton… Spread the word around, avoid visiting the beaches during the months of June, July and August…

http://www.dawn.com/2003/07/07/top13.htm

Seven youth drown near Hawkesbay

By Our Staff Reporter

KARACHI, July 6: Seven picnickers drowned in the sea off the Cape Montz beach here on Sunday morning. In charge of the Emergency Response Centre, Hawkesbay Mr Zafar Khan, told Dawn over phone that a group of youngsters hailing from Ranchorelines went into the sea early Sunday morning at about 6:30am.

The group, comprising nine to 10, had came to the Cape Montz some time on Saturday night in a Suzuki.

After spending the night, the youngsters went for a swim into the sea and, according to reports, three teenagers drifted towards the deep waters.

In a bid to rescue their drowning friends, four more youth went into the deep water, but could not sustain the strong currents and were swept away.

Edhi sources said all the seven youths resided in Hoti Market, Ranchorelines.

A little after 9am, body of Khurram was recovered from the sea by the lifeguards who report to their duties at 9:00am, Mr Zafar Khan said.

Those who lost their lives are: Khurram, 18; Raheel, 17; Razzak, 18; Shahzad, 18; Samee, 18; Zeeshan, 17 and Tariq, 18.

After fishing out the body from the sea, the lifeguards handed it over to the Edhi Foundation which later handed it over to Khurram’s relatives from the Moosa Lane Centre.

All the victims were friends, some of them classmates of same college, Mr Rizwan Edhi said.

The emergency centre in charge told Dawn that the recovery operation would be resumed from 5am Monday morning.

Following the incident, the Cape Montz beach was vacated by the lifeguards.

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Spock good post

I recall that I myself almost drowned at Hawkesbay back in late 80s when i was out there with some pals. It was a scary experience. What made it even worse was that the guys thought iw as horsing around and not really drowning, I thought I was going to die..God had other plans for me becaus I somehow made it out..not sure how I was able to though.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Fraudz: *
Spock good post

I recall that I myself almost drowned at Hawkesbay back in late 80s when i was out there with some pals. It was a scary experience. What made it even worse was that the guys thought iw as horsing around and not really drowning, I thought I was going to die..God had other plans for me becaus I somehow made it out..not sure how I was able to though.
[/QUOTE]

Fraudz bhai, do you remember what time of the year it was? I always goto Karachi in the summers, and at that time the sea is very scary! I mean even if youre far away, it seems that the collective tides are on top of you... Its a fascinating sight, but again its very dangerous... I wish I had a picture I could post... Another interesting fact is that all the cottages that they build near these beaches, they only have a life of 1 or 2 years, as they develop cracks and fall down!

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Spock

yeah sorry I forgot to mention. This was in late June/early July time frame.

The lifespan of the cottages and huts is an interesting issue. I personally know people who were involved in developing plans to build our beach areas. part of that included the compliance of buildings to certain codes which are not followed right now.

Its poor worksmanship, not the right type and mix of material etc. otherwise there are plenty of other places closre to beaches worldwide, as well as in Pakistan that would have collapsed by now.

The plans of beach revitalization were done back in mid nineties after Nawaz came in power, and the recommendations to make the beaches into sectors with family entertainment, activities., restaurants (with seasonal contracts) life guards and coast guard etc were very well received but then it wasd decided that there was not enough money to do all of it, therefore even doing some of it makes no sense.

I am not surprised by it personally. It would have been good but the return on investment purely from a financial perspective was debateable, and there were defenitely better uses for that money. I believe the govt had indicated that it would support private investors to build up the area. What happened afterwards, i dunno. Last time i was at hawkes bay was in 94 so I dont know if anything has changed since.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Fraudz: *
Spock

yeah sorry I forgot to mention. This was in late June/early July time frame.

The lifespan of the cottages and huts is an interesting issue. I personally know people who were involved in developing plans to build our beach areas. part of that included the compliance of buildings to certain codes which are not followed right now.

Its poor worksmanship, not the right type and mix of material etc. otherwise there are plenty of other places closre to beaches worldwide, as well as in Pakistan that would have collapsed by now.

[/QUOTE]

Well, Im still finding that a little hard to believe, as I believe the workmanship in Karachi is pretty good, compared to other cities. You may be right though, however the ones I am referring to are right next to the beaches, literally in the sand. They look like lavish houses, but the sand beneath them undergoes massive shifts. They are so close that these nasty waves carry all the way to the porches etc.

Btw, have you had the chance to see French Beach in Karachi? Now thats a nice beach, mainly because its kept very clean and is off limits to general public.