THATTA: Twenty-six picnickers, including women and children, drowned when a boat they were boarded capsized in Kinjhar Lake near here on Sunday.
According to police sources, 28 picnickers were sailing in a boat when it capsized due to high winds. However, witnesses said that the boat capsized due to overloading and gusty winds. The boat was about 10 kilometres from bank when it sank. Twenty-five bodies have so far been recovered by local fishermen and divers, living at the Kinjhar Lake area, and shifted to the Civil Hospital. Later, the bodies were shifted to Edhi Centre, Sohrab Goth
The ill-fated picnickers belonged to one family, residing in Jaffar Tayyar Society, Malir town and Federal B Area, Karachi. The deceased were identified as Nida Zohra d/o Hasnain Akhtar, Kausar Zohra d/o Nazar Abbas, Nargis Fatima d/o Nazar Abbas, Farhat Fatima d/o Nazar Abbas, Qamar Fatima w/o Nazar Abbas, Khushnnood Bano, Hameed-un-Nisa w/o Nasrullah, Shakeel Zohra w/o Naqi Haider, Wasim Haider s/o Naseem Abbas, Mujtaba s/o Mustafa, Tania d/o Naqi Haider, Naqi Haider s/o Naseem Haider, Ulfat d/o Ali Haider, Raisa d/o Naseem, Hina Fatima, Zain s/o Mazhar Sajjad, Abbas Haider s/o Ali Haider, Waqar Haider s/o Zulfiqar, Alia d/o Naseem Abbas, Mahwish d/o Mustafa Kazmi, Ambar Fatima d/o Nazar Abbas, Shameem Fatima w/o Mustafa Kazmi, Sania d/o Naqi Haider, Saba Zohra d/o intikhab Haider and a minor girl daughter of Nazar Abbas.
Hasnain Kazmi, a relative of the victims, said: “They do not know exactly what had happened but we certainly know, this is a great tragedy, we cannot explain it.” He added that there were no proper rescue arrangements at all at the lakeside and if there was any, many lives could have been saved.
Nazim Union Council No 5 Jaffar Tayyar Malir town Jaffar-ul-Hassan and several councillors Karim Khan, Rafiq Pariyani, Shamshad, Liaquat Hussain and Badarul Hussain reached from Karachi and were present in the hospital.
Meanwhile, several sympathisers of the deceased picnickers turned aggressive and surrounded official jeep of the DCO in which District Nazim Shafqat Shirazi was leaving the civil hospital. They closed the hospital gate and damaged the vehicle and broke its glasses. However, the guards of the DCO and Nazim fired in air, dispersed the crowd and managed to take the vehicle out of the hospital premises.
Senior Deputy Convenor Muttahida Qaumi Movement Dr Farooq Sattar, who was on his way to Karachi from Badin, visited the lakeside and the hospital. He expressed profound shock and grief over the incident.
AH Khanzada adds from Karachi: Two children, including an infant, have been rescued, relatives of the victims told The News.
Family sources said the victims had departed for picnic on Sunday morning. At the Kinjhar Lake, they hired two boats, one for males and other for children and women. The boat that capsized was carrying children and women.
A large number of people gathered in Jaffar-e-Tayyar locality as the news of the accident reached there. Moving scenes were witnessed there when this correspondent visited the area. When contacted, the district coordination officer Thatta told The News the ill-fated boat had a capacity of 12 to 15 persons but at time of the accident it was carrying 28 people. He confirmed the recovery of all the 26 bodies, adding that the boatsman had been arrested.
Till filing of the report, the bodies have been kept at the Edhi Morgue, Sohrab Goth and arrangements were being made for their funeral, which is expected today. Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and President PML-QA Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain condoled the tragic loss of lives in the incident. In their separate condolence messages, they said they fully share the tragedy that has befallen the family.
The Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad, Chief Minstar Ali Muhammad Maher, have also expressed grief over the drowning of picnickers. The governor took strict notice of incident and has ordered for an immediate inquiry in the tragedy. He directed that strict action be taken against those found responsible for negligence and carelessness.