10 children killed in Pakistan as boat capsizes

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi told Dawn that six bodies have been recovered so far, while 17 children and a teacher were rescued

As many as 10 children died on Sunday when their boat capsized in Pakistan's Tanda Dam lake in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kohat on Sunday, according to Dawn citing rescuers. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi told Dawn that six bodies have been recovered so far, while 17 children and a teacher were rescued.

"Four children are in critical condition. They have been moved to the District Headquarters Hospital Kohat," Faizi was quoted as saying by Dawn. The rescue officials further stated that the children were aged between 12 and 20 years. "They were all madrassah students out on a day trip to the dam," he added.

Faizi added that seven ambulances, four boats, two recovery vehicles, and more than 40 personnel of Rescue 1122 were participating in the search operation, which is underway, Dawn reported. Caretaker KP Chief Minister Azam Khan, in a statement issued on Sunday, expressed grief over the incident.

He directed the district administration and rescue organisations to start a rescue operation on an emergency basis. "All available resources should be utilized for the safe recovery of the persons who drowned in the incident," he said.

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Khan also instructed the commissioner and deputy commissioner of Kohat to personally supervise the rescue operations. Mass drownings are common in Pakistan when aged and overloaded vessels lose their stability and pitch passengers into the water. In July, 19 women drowned when an overcrowded boat carrying a wedding party across the Indus river in Rahim Yar Khan capsized.

Rahim Yar Khan Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza said as word on the incident was received, 30 rescuers, five ambulances, and a water rescue van arrived at the spot, as per the Dawn report. "Nineteen bodies, all women, have been pulled from the water while a search operation is underway for the remaining passengers," Khan added.

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