Local authorities in Pakistan reported the sinking of a boat carrying wedding guests. So far, 50 dead and missing have resulted. Furthermore, they admitted that they have given up hope of finding survivors. The boat with more than 100 people capsized while crossing the Indus River, which was swollen by a storm in the Sadiqabad district of Punjab province.
The spokesman for the district administration, Kashif Nisar Gil, mentioned that 48 hours have passed since the accident, so they do not believe they will be able to find the missing persons despite the efforts they have made, including the community support and a team of divers.
The authorities also reported that they have recovered only 26 bodies and the majority are women and children. However, there were also survivors, mostly men who managed to swim to shore.
It is worth mentioning that this may be a result of the fact that in Pakistan, women do not usually learn to swim because “behavior” in public is still governed by conservative behaviors and is not considered a necessary activity.
These types of incidents are common in Pakistan, as wooden boats are a means of transporting both passengers and goods. The main problem is that they are often overweight and none of them are wearing basic safety measures such as life jackets.
It is understood that in 2014 there was an accident very similar to this one, where at least 18 people, including the groom, drowned while celebrating a wedding in a boat that ended up capsizing.