Four Rehri Goth Fishermen Die After Month-Long Fishing Trip

Four fishermen from Rehri Goth in Karachi have died under circumstances that police have not yet explained, days after returning from a month-long fishing trip at sea.

Station House Officer (SHO) Sukhan Irfan Ali Sehto said the fishermen, identified as Hashim, Hussain, Usman and Siddique, had gone fishing for a month and returned to Rehri Goth. Soon after their return, their health deteriorated.

They were first taken to a private hospital and later to Jinnah Hospital. All four died on separate days during treatment within a span of a week, the SHO said, adding that no injury marks or signs of torture were found on their bodies. Doctors termed the deaths as natural, he added.

What the family says

A video statement of the niece of one of the deceased has also surfaced. She said five people, including her maternal uncle, a cousin and other relatives, had gone fishing in the sea.

After returning, they complained of abdominal pain, she said. They were first taken to a nearby private hospital and, after a check-up, returned home. Later, when they complained of pain again, they were taken to another private hospital and, on doctors’ advice, shifted to Jinnah Hospital, where doctors diagnosed kidney and heart-related complications. They were admitted and died during treatment.

The family’s account and the police account agree on the broad sequence: a month at sea, illness after return, hospital treatment, and death within a week. They differ in emphasis. The police statement stresses that no injury marks were found and that doctors called the deaths natural. The family account stresses the abdominal pain that came on after the return, and the move between hospitals before admission at Jinnah Hospital.

What is not yet known

The cause of the deaths has not been established in public. The SHO said further investigation into the incident is underway.

That leaves the central question open. Four men from the same trip, falling ill after return and dying within days of each other, is a pattern that invites questions, but no answer has been given yet. It would be wrong to speculate about what happened at sea or what treatment they received, and neither the police nor the family account, as reported, offers a confirmed cause.

What can be said is that the deaths are being treated as an incident under investigation, not as a closed case. The families will be waiting for the findings, and the fishing community of Rehri Goth will be watching for whether any wider health concern emerges.

A community that lives by the sea

Rehri Goth is a fishing settlement on Karachi’s coast, and its families depend on long trips at sea. A month-long voyage is normal work for its fishermen, not an exception. That is why the deaths have hit the community hard: the men were doing the work their village has always done.

The report also noted a happier homecoming a day earlier. Eleven fishermen reunited with their families after their return from Indian prisons. They arrived in Karachi after being transported from the Wagah border in Lahore. Among those returning were six fishermen from Mauripur.

The contrast is sharp. One group of fishermen came home to celebration after years away. Another group came home from a routine trip and did not survive the week. For Karachi’s fishing communities, both stories are part of the same reality: the sea provides a living, and it also carries risks that are not always understood.

What happens next

The police investigation is the next step. Its findings should establish, as far as medical evidence allows, what caused the four deaths, and whether anything could have been done differently at any stage, from the first hospital visit to the final admission.

Frequently asked questions

Who were the fishermen who died?

Hashim, Hussain, Usman and Siddique, all from Rehri Goth in Karachi, who had returned from a month-long fishing trip.

What happened after they returned?

Their health deteriorated. They complained of abdominal pain, were taken to a private hospital, then to another private hospital, and finally to Jinnah Hospital, where doctors diagnosed kidney and heart-related complications. All four died on separate days within a week.

Has a cause of death been established?

No. Police said no injury marks or signs of torture were found, and doctors termed the deaths natural, but the SHO said further investigation is underway.

Is this connected to the fishermen who returned from India?

No connection has been reported. The 11 fishermen who returned from Indian prisons arrived in Karachi a day earlier and are a separate group.