HYDERABAD, Dec. 7 (TNS): At least 13 pilgrims died and several other missing as a boat overloaded with devotees of a local shrine capsized in a creek in Thatta district on Thursday.
The boat, ferrying the devotees to shrine of Meenhan Pathai in the sea in union council Bohara, was carrying over 60 people, survivors, local fishermen and boatmen claimed.
“There were more people crammed in the ferry than its capacity,” Subhan Jokhio, one of the survivors, claimed while talking to the local media. According to him, most of the victims belong to Malir area of Karachi.
Allah Dino Mallah, a local boatman, said due to disproportionately lower number of ferries and high number of devotees the boatmen have been transporting more passengers. According to him, these boats ideally carry not more than 40 to 50 people.
The dead and injured, which also include women and children, were shifted to Taluka hospital Mirpur Sakro. Some of the deceased have been identified as Maqsood Jokhio, Karamunnisa Jokhio, Lalanh Panhwar, Wazir Jokhio, Abu Bakar Panhwar and two children Nazia and Yasir Jokhio.
The local fishermen and boatmen pulled out the dead and rescued the other people before the official rescue operation could be launched.
