July 19, 2022 07:34
Pakistani authorities announced that a boat carrying 100 people from the same family who were heading to a wedding party sank in the Indus River, killing at least 18 women, while dozens of people are still missing.
Authorities said the boat sank while it was transporting family members in a wedding procession from Mashka to Kharoor, two villages located in Sadiqabad district of Punjab province.
Rana Kashif Mahmood, a spokesman for the Sadiqabad district administration, said that the accident resulted in the drowning of 18 women who were “confirmed dead”, while 25 to 30 people survived after they were “rescued by residents living on the banks of the river or able to swim to land”.
He added that rescue teams are continuing to search for the missing.
For his part, policeman Mohamed Hammad told AFP that “the majority of the drowned are women” because “most men are good at swimming.”
He added, “The death toll is likely to rise.”
Rural people in Pakistan often use boats for transportation, especially as they are cheaper than road transport.
Source: agencies
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