At least 50 children killed in Pakistan boat capsize
Islamabad, Jan 31 (EFE).- At least 50 children of a religious seminary have died after their boat capsized in Pakistan’s northwestern province, police said on Tuesday.
The boat capsized on Sunday in the Tanda Dam lake of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the children had come for a picnic.
“Today, 21 more bodies of children have been fished out,” police officer Akbar Zaman told EFE.
Zamar said rescuers recovered 51 bodies since the tragedy.
A boatman was among the dead, while all others were children between 7 and 15 years old.
“One student is missing and a search continues for him,” said Zaman.
He said searchers rescued seven students on Sunday.
As per the initial investigation by the police, the boat capsized because it was overloaded.
He said four searching boats, two recovery vehicles, and more than 40 personnel of the Rescue Service participated in the search operation that continued for three days.
Shahid Anwar, head of the seminary, told local Geo News that some 57 students of his Islamic seminary were on a recreational visit to the dam and took a boat ride on Sunday.
He said his son and a nephew were also among the dead.
Tanda Dam is a popular recreational spot near Kohat in the province.
Mass drowning in Pakistan is not rare, mainly because of the overloading of boats in dilapidated conditions.
At least 26 people, mostly women, died when a boat carrying a wedding party capsized in the River Indus near Rahim Yar Khan in south Punjab province in July last year. EFE
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