12 of a family drown at Karachi’s Hawksbay beach

KARACHI: Twelve members of a family, including a girl and a boy, drowned at Hawksbay on Saturday. They had come for picnic from different parts of the city when they were caught up in the waves and lost their lives.

Talking to The News,  SP Aziz claimed that the Mauripur police, along with life guards, were patrolling at Hawksbay  when they saw some picnickers  swimming towards the deep sea. He said the police and life guards asked them multiple times to get back to the safety of the shallow waters of the beach, but they did not comply. The police, however, gave them a drubbing and told them to pack and leave the picnic spot as they were not listening to their  instructions, Aziz said and added following this the police went away for their patrol along the beach. 

While a few members of the family sat in the van, some again went into the sea and were swept away by the strong waves and drowned, SP Aziz said. The police, patrol along with the life guards, returned on hearing the hue and cries of the family and tried to rescue them. But at that time there were only three life guards at Hawksbay. Realising the need for more, police called more life guards for the rescue, he said. The life guards, he said, took out nine of them alive, but they died on way to hospital. Later, three bodies were also pulled from the rough sea, he said.     

Suleman, one of the picnickers, said his family, cousins and other relatives had gathered at the picnic spot. After spending the day, some relatives insisted on swimming before going home, he said.  But as soon as they
stepped into the sea, they were swept away by strong currents and 12 of them drowned. "It happened because there were only two life guards, and by the time more came for rescue it was too late," Suleman charged. 

Head of the Edhi Emergency Medical Services  Muhammad Tahir Sheikh told The News that the rescue service fished out bodies of 12 people. SHO Eidgah police, Chaudhry Irshad told The News that the victims were identified as Saud, 50, his 17-year-old daughter Fiza and 15-year-old son Ebad, Umair, 30, and his 23-year-old brother Ammar were also among the victims. Other victims were identified as Wahaj, 28, Ali, 25, Taha, 20, Atif, 30, Hamza, 12, Ali, 26 and Waqar, 30.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has expressed grief and sorrow over the sad incident and sought report from the Home secretary.