Death toll for May reaches 11 as three more drownings reported

With the sea and wind currents intensifying during monsoon, negligence on part of both the beachgoers and Pakistan Coast Guards result in a number of people drowning off Karachi’s coast every year. 

The death toll for the month of May rose to 11 after three more were reported to have drowned at the Sandspit and Hawkes Bay beaches late Sunday night. Identified as 26-year-old Rayan and 17-year-old Hammad Fareed, the two friends drowned at Sandspit. The bodies of both the men were recovered.

Earlier, search for the latter was called off due to darkness. However, his friends reached Sandspit during the night and arranged for a generator to aid rescue efforts.

Rehan resided in Dhoraji area, near Bahadurabad, while Hameed was a resident of FB Area, Block 6. The body of 20-year-old Pinto was also recovered on Sunday after he drowned at the Hawkes Bay beach. He was a resident of Nazimabad.  

Earlier, three fishermen drowned near Manora Island while nine other were rescued after their boat capsized owing to a strong wind pressure. Docks head moharir Abid said a vessel carrying 12 fishermen overturned just off the shore near Manora. 

The men who lost their lives were residents of Mauripur area and identified as 50-year-old Haroon Muhammad, 55-year-old Muhammad Moosa and 73-year-old Sakhi Muhammad.

On May 14, four friends drowned at the Hawkes Bay beach, while a fifth was shifted to a hospital in an unconscious condition. The bodies of all four victims were recovered by rescue teams.

Nineteen-year-old Syed Raza drowned, while his brother, 23-year-old Syed Umar, was rescued in an unconscious condition. Others who drowned were identified as 25-year-old Danish, 17-year-old Mashal Minhas and Zubair Majeed.

The men were residents of Buffer Zone, Federal B Area and North Nazimabad. According to in-charge of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) emergency response centre, Muhammad Mairaj, the incident was reported at 7am. He said the rescue operation was started immediately.

The dead bodies were handed over to their distraught families after completion of formal proceedings at the Civil Hospital. While picnickers blamed the deaths on absence of lifeguards, the authorities held the picnickers responsible for carelessly swimming in rough seas amid poor security and administrative arrangements.

A 35-year-old woman who went on a picnic with her family had drowned at Hawkesbay on May 6, Mauripur police and rescue officials said. Shahida Hanif was swimming in the sea when she was swept away by a strong wave. Her body was retrieved and sent to a nearby hospital.