Pakistan: 70 fishing boats missing at sea amid cyclone warning

Islamabad [Pakistan] October 1 : Pakistan authorities are unable to track at least 70 boats after all fishing boats sailing from karachi were recalled in view of a potential tropical cyclone.
Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency and the Fishermen Cooperative Society have set up a number of monitoring and rescue centres, Samaa news reported.
"There were at least 165 fishing boats at sea when the weather started worsening," said manager of the cooperative society Nasir Boneri adding that the launches that had not been able to reach Karachi might have docked on jetties in Pasni, Ormara and elsewhere in Balochistan.
Meanwhile, warning of excessively high waves has also been issued by the authorities while the conditions at sea are rapidly deteriorating in the region.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department had issued a warning for the likelihood that a cyclonic storm will develop along the Sindh-Makran coast within the next few hours.
The Met Office, in the latest advisory issued on Thursday evening, said that "the depression over the northeast Arabian Sea has moved west-northwestward at a speed of 20km/h during last 12 hours, and now lies at latitude 23.0N and longitude 67.8E, at a distance of about 240km east-southeast of Karachi", according to Geo News.