PESHAWAR, Aug 23: Sixty-two Kurram Agency residents, who had gone missing after their ferry sank off the coast of Indonesia last June, have formally been pronounced dead by their families two months after the tragedy.

Elders and members of Turi and Bangash tribes on Thursday gathered at the central imambargah of Parachinar, the capital of Kurram Agency, and held Quran khwani for the ferry accident victims.

MNA Sajid Hussain Turi was also in attendance.

Around 200 asylum-seekers from Pakistan and Afghanistan, mostly youths, were on the way to Australia’s Christmas Island when their boat capsized on June 22 this year.

The Australian authorities rescued 110 asylum-seekers and fished out 16 bodies, but whereabouts of 90, mostly Pakistanis, remained unknown.

However, many still believe their relatives will be alive and return.

Survivors were shifted to Christmas Island for verification and processing of their cases.

“Elders tried to convince the victims’ families and told them that there was no chance of them being alive, but initially, they did not believe. However, they finally gave in,” said Rehmat Ali, who attended the Quran khwani ceremony.

He said pictures of missing people were displayed in imambargah.

MNA Sajid, who recently visited Australia and met survivors at detention centres, told participants that he examined six bodies at the Christmas Island mortuary. He said all bodies were of Kurram Agency residents and that their possible relatives would soon undergo DNA testing of their blood.

The MNA said these people would be taken to Islamabad for DNA testing, while the government would bear all expenses of bringing the bodies back. — Bureau Report