Karachi: 3 more bodies recovered, beach death toll reaches 24

KARACHI: Rescue workers recovered three more bodies from the Karachi beach on Thursday, raising death toll of the drowned persons to 24 since Wednesday night, Geo News reported.

Despite a ban on swimming in the sea, more than a dozen persons drowned at Clifton beach in the provincial capital on the second day of Eid-ul-Fitr. Three of the victims were members of the same family and their bodies have been sent back to their ancestral area.

According to sources at rescue services, the bodies of the deceased were shifted to Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre for completion of medico-legal formalities.

According to a Geo News correspondent, citizens kept bathing and swimming in the sea throughout the day in violation of the ban imposed by the provincial administration on such activities in the monsoon season. However, people of all ages from the city and those coming from other parts of the country flock to seaside in large numbers to celebrate Eid with friends and family.

Navy helicopters are also being used in the rescue operation.

Talking to Geo TV, Commissioner Karachi, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, said it is hard to stop people from bathing in the sea despite ban on it because the coastal area is very wide, therefore, keeping eye on the entire beach is difficult.

Taking notice of the incident, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah and City Administration have closed the routes leading to the sea view.