Bodies of all six missing victims of Begnas boat capsize were recovered on Sunday, taking the death toll in Saturday’s tragic incident to eight.

On Saturday, two persons drowned and six went missing when a boat carrying 10 people—twice its capacity—capsized in Begnas Lake.

Rabi Khanal, 32, of Gaidakot in Nawalpur district and his two sons Shankar, 8, and Shiva, 7; Prachin Poudel, 5, of Pokhara-31; Ranjita Gaire, 4, of Bhimad-4 in Tanahun and Manisha Bajagain, 18, of New Buspark in Pokhara had gone missing after the incident. The bodies of Krishna Kumari Bajgain, 50, of Naya Bus Park and Jamuna Gaire, 28, of Bhimad were recovered on Saturday, while two persons on board were rescued by the locals.

According to Superintendent of Police Om Bahadur Rana, the bodies of the missing were recovered during a search mission conducted by the local fisherman community, relatives of the missing persons and personnel of Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force.

“People from the local Jalari community played a vital role in the search,” he added. The bodies were taken to Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences and Western Regional Hospital. 

The tragic incident occurred when the victims were sailing towards the house of Kamal Raj Kandel who had organised a Dar programme—a feast enjoyed by Hindu women during the Teej festival—on Saturday. Kandel, who was supposedly following the capsized vessel on a separate boat, collapsed while trying to rescue the victims. He is receiving treatment at Charak Memorial Hospital.