POKHARA, Sept 10: Bodies of all the six passengers who had gone missing after a boat capsized in Begnas Lake on Saturday evening have been recovered a day later on Sunday. With the latest tally, the death toll from the boat capsize has now reached eight with only two survivors.

Earlier on Saturday, two people were rescued alive but died while undergoing treatment at a local hospital. They have been identified as Krishna Kumari Kandel (Bajgain), 51, of Pokhara metropolis-28, and Jamuna Kandel (Gaire), 40, of Tanahun.

Only two people out of the total ten passengers survived Saturday's accident. The survivors are Sapana Khanal, 28, and Nisha Paudel, police told Republica. The duo was able to swim toward the rescuers who came for help immediately after the incident. Their health condition is said to be normal.

On Sunday morning, the body of eight-year-old Shiva Khanal was found at around 10 am, according to Rabindra Man Gurung, spokesperson at the District Police Office (DPO), Kaski. “After that, all other remaining bodies were recovered from around the same area,” he said.

Along with Shiva, rescuers retrieved the body of five-year-old Prachin Paudel, seven-year-old Shankar Khanal, Ravi Khanal, 32, Manisha Bajgain, 17, and four-year-old Ranjeet Gaire.

On Saturday evening, the boat carrying ten people from Dungaghat in the southern end of the lake was en route to the north-eastern shore when it capsized near the base of Libdi hill. According to eyewitnesses, the boat was just 100 meters away from the shore when the accident occurred. Most of the passengers were women visiting their relatives to celebrate the Teej festival. Some of them had children with them.

The incident occurred after five-year-old Prachin fell into the lake from the boat. His mother Nisha immediately jumped into the lake to rescue him, prompting the boat to lose its balance. The off-balance boat capsized as a result, throwing everyone into the lake.

 
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