Thatta boat capsize death toll reaches 18

News Analysis |

On Thursday, at least 18 people drowned and another 15 were rescued after a boat overloaded with hundreds of religious devotees of a local shrine capsized in a creek in Thatta district near the village of Bohra and Mirpur Sakro area in the coastal belt of Sindh. 

According to the reports, 47 passengers were rescued and shifted to the hospital. Most of the people rescued were taken to the hospital in an unconscious state.  

The devotees of the Dawoodi Bohra community were on their way to attend the annual Urs at the Shrine of Pir Pathai when the incident took place. It appears that the boat had capsized due to overcrowding. 

Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has expressed profound grief and sorrow for the deceased in this unfortunate incident, which resulted in the loss of precious lives.  

The incident took place near the shore and it resulted in a considerable loss of lives. The death toll would have been even higher, had the incident taken place in the open sea.

It is believed that the strong winds along with the presence of a high number of people beyond its capacity were the primary reason for the fatal incident. However, all the people are yet to be recovered, and the operation for the missing individual is still underway, according to the officials in the area. 

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Initially, conflicting views surfaced regarding the incident. Some officials believed that the unfortunate incident took place due to a collision between two boats. While, others said it was an isolated incident, where the boat capsized due to overcrowding. 

Initially, local rescue efforts were conducted to provide the maximum relief. According to the Hyderabad Division Commissioner (DC) Dr. Saeed Magnejo, ambulances from Sujawala and Thatta were mobilized to take part in the rescue operation.

Pakistan Navy dispatched its teams to the site of the incident to assist in the ongoing rescue operation. The navy rescue team constitutes medical personnel, divers and rescue staff.

47 passengers were rescued and shifted to the hospital. Most of the people rescued were taken to the hospital in an unconscious state.  

In Pakistan, there are hundreds of shrines that attract thousands of devotes to pay frequent visits. People of Pakistan pay a visit to these shrines and Darghas to offer respect and pray for their future. People also pay cash to the custodians of these shrines to be spent on the poor hoping to fulfill their desires and wishes. 

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Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has expressed profound grief and sorrow for the deceased in this unfortunate incident, which resulted in the loss of precious lives.  

Most of the people in the boat were locals and a research operation is underway to find the dead bodies of the deceased.