HYDERABAD - At least seven children drowned in the Indus River in Thatta district on Friday, turning the wedding celebrations their families were attending into mourning. According to details, children taking bath in a river located in Jharak area of Thatta, Sindh province drowned on Friday, Rescue sources reported.
According to details, seven children belonging to Merri tribe, residents of Daim, Sindh were taking bath to beat the heat in Indus river, but the ill-fated children could not control over bodies while enjoying swimming in deep water.
Thatta SSP Dr Imran stated that the children, who all belonged to the Marri community, had been swimming in a pond alongside the river.
“The children drowned while trying to rescue each other,” said a local man. He added that despite repeated calls, authorities failed to reach the incident site.
The children were retrieved from the water by local divers
The Rescue workers rushed to the site and tried to rescue them but after hectic efforts, they could only manage to retrieve the dead bodies, they were taken to the Rural Health Centre in Jhirk, where they were all declared dead.
The deceased were identified as seven-year-old Koonj, six-year-old Benazir, nine-year-old Aamir, six-year-old Rafiq, seven-year-old Raheem, five-year-old Bashir and Azeem.
The bodies were later taken back to the village in a mini-truck, due to the absence of an ambulance at the health facility. The dead bodies have been handed over to the heirs.
“It is premature to say whether the children belonged to one village or various areas. The government has started legal formalities,” said local journalist Mehboob Brohi.
Taking notice of the tragedy and expressing grief at the deaths, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah ordered the Hyderabad commissioner to submit a report after inquiring into the incident. Demanding to know how the incident occurred and whose negligence caused it, he told the relevant officials to cooperate with the children’s parents in every possible way.