Death toll in Keenjhar Lake boat tragedy rises to 10; three rescued

THATTA: At least 10 dead bodies have been retrieved and three persons rescued alive from Keenjhar Lake when a boat capsized today, ARY News reported on Monday.

The search and rescue operation has been concluded as the teams have recovered all persons went missing in the deep water after the sorrowful incident. The police officials have arrested sailor, Abdul Jabbar, over charges of overloading the boat.

At least 10 people including eight women and two children were drowned when a boat capsized in Keenjhar Lake on Monday. Three women were rescued alive by the rescue workers. The affected persons were belonging to Mehmoodabad area of Karachi.

According to police, at least 13 people were on board when the boat overturned in Keenjahr Lake.

People present at the scene managed to rescue two of them who were shifted to a hospital, while the search for the remaining people was completed after the arrival of expert divers and special boats.

Taking notice of the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah summoned a report from authorities concerned.

Pakistan Navy personnel including divers and medical team have also taken part in the search and rescue mission following the request of the local administration. Moreover, the deputy commissioner and SSP Thatta were also present on the scene to supervise the rescue operation.

Read More: Two children drown in Karachi’s Surjani Town

Keenjhar commonly called Malik Lake is located in Thatta District of Sindh. It is situated about 36 kilometres from the city of Thatta. It is the second-largest freshwater lake in Pakistan and an important source of drinking water for Thatta District and Karachi city.

Keenjhar Lake is a popular tourist resort. Many people from Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta visit to enjoy picnics, swimming, fishing, and boating.

Back in May, Five people had drowned in Indus river near Ghorabari in district Thatta. The incident was reported at Goth Ismail Jatt in the coastal area of Dandari.

“Three women and two children were drowned in Indus waters in an incident near Ghorabari town,” local police said.

Read More: Five drown in Indus river near Thatta

All of the victims had been drowned while trying to save a falling child in the river, police officials said. The police said that the women were washing clothes on the riverside when a child slipped into the river.