Boat carrying 50 capsizes in Indus River near Haripur; 14 survived

Several people were feared dead after a boat carrying 50 passengers from Dedal Kamach in Shangla to Haripur capsized in the Indus River at Burg in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday.

Two bodies, of a man and a child, have so far been pulled out of the waters while 14 people survived the incident and swam to the bank of the river as told by Haripur Assistant Commissioner to the media.

He said about 50 people including women and children were on board when the boat travelling to Haripur from Shangla’s Dedal Kamach area capsized in the Indus River at Tarbela, Haripur district.

Gul said rescue work is underway to recover the rest of the drowned people and local shopkeepers are taking part in the effort. Teams of the Pakistan Army’s Special Service Group (SSG) have been dispatched to the site as well.

Ibadullah Khan, a social activist in Dedal Kamach said that most of the drowned people belonged to Dedal Kamach and were close relatives of each other.

He said the news of the incident hit the area “like a thunderstorm”, leaving its residents in deep sorrow.