SWAT: At least 18 members of the same family were swept away in the Swat River on Friday after sudden flooding caused by heavy rain.
According to rescue officials, the family had travelled from Sialkot to Swat for sightseeing and was having breakfast on the riverbank when the water level rose unexpectedly.
Rescue authorities said they received the drowning alert around 8 a.m. The visiting family was sitting near the river at the bypass area, unaware of the danger from the sudden surge of water.
A rescue operation was immediately launched after receiving the report. So far, three people have been rescued alive while six bodies have been recovered. Search efforts for the remaining missing persons are ongoing.
Deputy Commissioner of Swat said that Section 144 is already enforced in the district to ban bathing in the river or approaching its banks, but tourists continue to ignore these restrictions.
One of the surviving tourists, said that ten members of their family were swept away. They managed to recover the body of one woman, while the search continues for nine missing children.
He described how the family had just finished breakfast and was having tea when the children went closer to the river to take selfies.
At that time, the water level appeared normal, but a sudden surge trapped the children. He also claimed that rescue teams were informed but arrived after one-and-a-half to two hours. “This all happened in front of them,” he said, “The children drowned before their eyes, and they couldn’t save them.”
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