About 12 fishermen are reportedly missing in the wake of windstorm, which started on Sunday and capsized at least two vessels, according to the locals. Several fishing boats are also feared missing with their crewmembers mid-sea amid the storm. The gusty winds that tore into the boats that were hunting at Daba and Chaan of close to the costal Gharo area, left at least 12 fishermen missing, according to the Fishermen Cooperative Society, stating that the operations are under way to find the missing crew members of the ill-fated vessels.
However, the three of the crew members were saved from drowning by the rescue operators soon after their boats as one was identified with the name of Al-Jilani while the other with its official number 17176. "Operations are under way for the missing fishermen," an FCS official said.
The missing crew members of the Al-Jilani includes with boat owner, Aziz Shaikh; Rafiq, son of Alam Nazir; Hussain, son of Mansoor; Iqbal, son of Muhammad Ali; Yahya, son of Haji Ahmed; Abdul Sattar, son of Qasim and Juman, son of Amin.
The other was a small boat with the four crew members sank midnight from the sandstorm, which struck all of them by surprise. Boat skipper, Muhammad Siddique, Babul and Muhammad Alam struggled to fight the gusty winds and strong sea currents amid the storm.
But, Noor-ul-Islam, according to their accounts, slipped off into the waves, which drew him away and is still missing. Surviving captain, Muhammad Siddique said that a local fisherman, hailing from the Katchi community, sailed his boat to rescue them at 9 am. "All 272 boats including big and small have been called to the moorages, which are expected to return to the coast by tomorrow morning," Chairman FCS, Abdul Barr assured the bereaved families of missing fishermen with a full support. "Over one dozens boats are missing from windstorm as there are reports that over one dozens boats have sunk," President Sindh Trawlers Owners and Fishermen Association, Habibullah Niazi said.