Eight people killed as overloaded boat capsizes in Pakistan

At least eight people, including a child, drowned and several others were missing when an overloaded boat capsized in the Sutlej river in Pakistan's Okara district on Monday, media reports said. The incident happened when around 20-25 people were on their way to a funeral and the boat they were travelling tilted on its side, filled with water and sank.

Police said that eight people lost their lives in the incident and the toll was likely to rise, the Express Tribune reported. "The boat was carrying 20 to 25 people at the time of the accident and rescue services fear the toll may rise. It drowned due to overloading," Maryam Khan, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, said.

According to the eyewitnesses, residents of the area initiated a rescue operation immediately after the accident. Boat accidents due to overloading are common in Pakistan.

In July this year, at least four people drowned and 15 were rescued after a boat carrying around 40 passengers capsized in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Haripur district.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)