ABBOTTABAD   -  Commissioner Hazara division Syed Zaheer ul Islam here Monday said the ill-fated boat, which has been capsized last week in Tarbela Lake near Keh village of Haripur was carrying 40 passengers of which 16 persons were rescued and only four dead bodies including threrr children were recovered from the lake.

In a press statement here Monday, Zaheer said search operation of 20 other drowned passengers was still continued after passing six days. The commissioner disclosed that owing to the muddying water, mud, sand and flood in the lake water, the divers were facing critical problems in the search operation.Zaheer said on the directives of the provincial government, they would continue support and help to the families of the missing passengers and would continue their search till recovery of the last victim.

The rescue camp, which was established at Baldheri, was shifted ahead owing to the increase in water inflow in the River Indus and now the divers and rescuers were expecting that the bodies have also been moved forward from the place of accident.

The funeral prayers of the four ill-fated boat passengers including three children have been offered in their native areas. Those were identified as Mubashar son of Waqas age 4 years resident of Beet Gali Haripur, Amir son of Gulbadan resident of Cheer Torghar age 14 months, Awais son of Omerzada age 2.6 years resident of Deedal Kamal Shangla and Ina ul Haq son of Ikram ul Haq resident of Deedal Kamal Shangla.

On the second day of the accident, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has announced compensation of Rs 0.5million each for dead and one lakh each for survivors of the boat accident.

District administration immediately sent the rescue teams at the place of accident and declared an emergency at District Headquarters Hospital Haripur, Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Ghazi, and all nearby government hospitals while rescue 1122 teams of Haripur, Nowshera and Peshawar have also started their operation.

Army divers also reached the spot with helicopters and started search operation in the area while rescue 1122 teams of Haripur, Nowshera, and Peshawar have also accompanied.

A medical camp has also been established at Padhana under the supervision of Additional DC Haripur. Provincial minister for Civil and Works Akbar Ayub Khan and DC Haripur directly monitoring the rescue and search operation in Tarbela Lake, the district administration has also issued an alert for all concerned departments.