Thatta
At least seven children, including three girls, drowned on Friday while swimming in the Indus River in Sindh’s Thatta district. The incident took place in the district’s Jhirk area. Locals have said people from various areas were attending a marriage ceremony in Daim Marri village when the incident occurred.
‘The unfortunate incident occurred when the children went swimming in the river,’ an official at Jhirk rural health centre said. The official added that all the children were aged between four and thirteen years. ‘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 bodies were shifted to a local health facility after being recovered from the river. ‘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. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and summoned a report from the Hyderabad commissioner.
