Two Pakistani boxers missing in Birmingham after CWG
Karachi, Aug 10: Two Pakistani boxers have gone missing in Birmingham after the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games, the national federation said on Wednesday.
Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) secretary Nasir Tang confirmed the news that boxers Suleman Baloch and Nazeerullah disappeared a couple of hours before the team's departure for Islamabad.
The Birmingham CWG ended on Monday.
The travel documents including their passports are still with federation officials who accompanied the boxing team to the games, Tang said.
He said the team management has informed the Pakistan High Commission in the UK and the relevant authorities in London about the disappearance of Suleman and Nazeerullah.
Tang said the documents of the missing boxers have been kept as per the standard operating procedure for all athletes who travel from Pakistan.
The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has formed a four-member committee to investigate the matter of the missing boxers.
Pakistan failed to win any medal in the boxing competition of the Commonwealth Games where it ended up with eight medals, including two gold, won in weightlifting and javelin throw.
The disappearance of the boxers came just two months after a national swimmer, Faizan Akbar also disappeared while competing in the FINA World Championships in Hungary.
Akbar, however, didn't even bother to compete in the championships and went missing with his passport and other documents just hours after reaching Budapest. He could not be traced since June.
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MP cruise boat tragedy: Death toll rises to nine; search ops continue at Bargi Dam
Jabalpur (PTI): The death toll in the Bargi Dam tragedy rose to nine on Friday, as rescuers recovered the bodies of five more persons who were on the cruise boat that overturned in the reservoir in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur.
Talking to PTI Videos, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi said, "Four bodies were recovered on Thursday, while five were found in the early hours during the rescue operation, taking the toll to nine."
As many as 22 people have been rescued so far, he said.
The minister said that a thorough probe will be conducted, and the issue of life jackets, raised by one of the survivors, will also be investigated.
The rescue operation is underway in full swing to trace the missing persons, Lodhi said.
A cruise boat with 29 passengers and two crew members onboard overturned in the Bargi Dam after encountering a sudden storm on Thursday evening, officials said.
The Bargi Dam is constructed on the Narmada River in Jabalpur district.
A search and rescue operation for the missing passengers continued overnight with teams from the Army, NDRF and SDRF joining in, State PWD Minister Rakesh Singh said.
Hydraulic cranes are being used to pull out the cruise boat from the water body, he said.
According to eyewitnesses, strong winds made the water choppy, prompting many on board to raise an alarm and ask the crew to steer the boat back to the banks.
However, the crew was unable to hear these shouts, and the boat drifted and then overturned, they said, adding that some locals rescued a few passengers wearing life jackets with the help of a rope.
