Siddiqabad ( Pakistan ) - (AFP) - The Pakistani authorities announced that a boat carrying 100 people from the same family who were heading to a wedding party sank in the Sindh River on Monday, killing at least 18 women, while dozens of people are still missing. the missing.

Authorities said the boat sank while it was transporting family members as part of a wedding procession from Machka to Kharoor, two villages in Sadiqabad district of Punjab province.

Rana Kashif Mahmood, a spokesman for the Sadiqabad district administration, said that the accident resulted in the drowning of 18 women who were "confirmed dead", while between 25 and 30 people survived after "rescued by residents living on the banks of the river or managed to reach the land by swimming."
He added that rescue teams are continuing to search for the missing.

For his part, policeman Mohamed Hammad told AFP that "the majority of the drowned are women," because "most of the men can swim."

He added, "The death toll is likely to rise."

Rural people in Pakistan often use boats for transportation, especially since they are cheaper than land transportation.
However, the nature of conservative society in Pakistan discourages women from learning to swim.