VIDEO: 10 Pakistani family members die as over crowded boat capsizes in Keenjhar Lake

A small boat carrying local tourists capsized on a lake in southern Pakistan on Monday, leaving 10 members of a family dead and another three missing, police confirmed. 

The motorboat was ferrying 10 women and three children, along with the boatman, from the banks of the lake to the shrine on Noori Jam Tamachi at the lake's centre.

According to Thatta Deputy Commissioner Usman Tanveer, the boat on Kneejhar Lake overturned because it was overloaded past the permitted capacity, while strong winds also led to the accident."

He said rescuers are still searching the water. Such accidents are common in Pakistan, where rickety wooden boats are often used to transport goods and people on rivers and lakes. Most operate without life jackets.

Rescue workers and volunteers gather to search bodies following a boat capsized in Keenjhar Lake. AP

The bodies of the deceased were retrieved from the lake by local divers.

According to the police, the bereaved families, belonging to Mehmoodabad, Karachi, had arrived to the lake in a bus.

The lake is a popular tourism spot, attracting most of its visitors from the provincial capital, who often make their way there on day trips.

Visitors often complain that the boatmen do not provide them with life jackets and the boats are filled visibly beyond their capacity, besides being poorly maintained.

Agencies