At least 60 people on their way to a memorial died on Friday when their overloaded ferry capsized in the Arabian Sea off southern Pakistan, a navy spokesperson said.
The accident occurred near the remote coastal town of Kharo Chao, about 180km south-east of the port city of Karachi, navy Lieutenant Commander Salman Ali said. The boat was overloaded, carrying 65 people when it went down.
”Divers from the Pakistan navy are looking for the bodies, but so far we only know that about 60 people have drowned,” he said. ”Those who died included women and children.”
Five people who managed to swim to shore notified authorities, said Mohammed Ali Shah, chairperson of the Fisher Folk Forum.
Shah said there may have been as many as 80 people on board the ferry when it sank.
The victims were going to a remote coastal town to express their condolences to relatives of three people who died earlier this week in a separate boat incident, Shah said. — Sapa-AP