The authorities recovered four other bodies from a fishing boat on Sunday which capsized near Gwadar, bringing the total number of deaths to five. The boat, carrying six Karachi fishermen, sank due to strong winds and rough waves in the Oman Sea earlier this week.
The deceased includes Ayub, an Ibrahim Hyderi resident, whose body was recovered a day earlier and resting on Sunday. His son Zeeshan, also among the victims, should be brought to Karachi de Gwadar on Monday evening. The three remaining victims, identified as residents of the colony of Machar, were also transported in the city to bury.
A fisherman miraculously survived the incident.
Learn more: A dead man, several missing as the boat flows near Gwadar
The media coordinator of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), Kamal Shah, confirmed that six fishermen were on board at the time of the accident. “Five died while one survived,” he said.
The president of the PFF, Mehran Ali Shah, addressing the media during the funeral of Ayub, said that the community of fishermen is faced with daily risks at sea to support their family. “When they are unable to fish, they end up with hunger and poverty,” he added.
He demanded that the Sindh government install rescue centers along the coast and provides speed boats to guarantee timely responses during maritime emergencies. Shah has also urged the Fishermen Cooperative Society and the competent authorities to offer immediate financial assistance to the families of the victims.
“Sindh fishermen contribute to more than 24 billion tax rupees per year. It is time for the government to invest in their security,” he said.
