Police in Upper Swat have handed over the body of a woman who went missing after a boat capsized at Lake Saifullah on July 1, following her identification by relatives nearly four months later.
The body was recovered from Mahodand Lake, which is connected to Lake Saifullah, on November 4. Police suspected that it belonged to Bushra, the daughter of retired Pakistan Navy Lieutenant Commander Amir, who was among those on the boat.
The accident claimed the lives of Amir, who was from Lahore, his 20-year-old son Abdullah, his daughters 27-year-old, 23-year-old and two young children.
Bushra was also on the boat but went missing after the accident. Rescue teams searched for her for several days but failed to recover her body, leading authorities to call off the operation.
Upper Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Jamil Akhtar told an international media outlet that police contacted the family after the body was recovered. Her maternal uncle and other relatives later arrived and identified her as Bushra.
Akhtar explained that the family identified her through physical features rather than DNA testing. He added that police had collected DNA samples and sent them to a laboratory for further confirmation.
The DPO said that Bushra’s relatives told police that she had a broken front tooth and the recovered body was also missing a tooth. They also identified her through the remaining sandal on her foot and the jeans she was wearing.
Akhtar added that no woman had been reported missing in the area during the past four months. The administration therefore handed over the body to the family based on the relatives’ identification.
