Spokesman says boat capsizes in NW Pakistan, 30 feared dead

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A boat carrying dozens of passengers capsized in the Indus River in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, leaving more than 30 people missing and feared dead, a government spokesman said.

Shaukat Yousafzai, spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said the boat was carrying more than 50 people when it sank near the town of Haripur.

He said troops were helping civilian authorities to recover bodies.

Earlier, police said search teams rescued 12 people and recovered eight bodies, including four children.

Such accidents are common in Pakistan, where wooden boats are often used to transport goods and people living along rivers and lakes.