SWAT: Three tourists lost their lives and seven others were injured after a tourist boat capsized in Saifullah Lake near Kalam in Upper Swat on Wednesday, prompting an extensive rescue operation by Rescue 1122 and local authorities.
According to Rescue 1122 officials, emergency teams rushed to the scene immediately after receiving reports of the incident. Ambulances and rescue personnel reached the remote lake and launched a large-scale operation to rescue passengers feared to be missing.
As rescue efforts continued, authorities confirmed that three tourists had died in the accident, while seven others sustained injuries. Officials said all the victims belonged to Punjab province and had traveled to the scenic Swat Valley for tourism.
Rescue workers provided first aid at the scene before shifting the injured to Kalam Hospital for medical treatment. The bodies of the deceased were also transported to the hospital to complete legal formalities before being handed over to their families.
Police and Rescue 1122 officials have begun investigating the circumstances surrounding the boat accident to determine what caused the vessel to capsize. Authorities are expected to review safety measures for boating activities in the region to help prevent similar incidents in the future.
In a separate tragedy, a woman lost her life after being swept away by flash floodwaters while crossing a rain-fed stream with her daughter in Puran Tehsil of Shangla district.
According to local residents, the woman and her daughter were attempting to cross the stream when a sudden surge of floodwater swept them away. Local volunteers managed to rescue the girl, who sustained injuries and was shifted to a nearby hospital after receiving first aid.
Rescue 1122 teams, assisted by the tehsil administration and local volunteers, launched a search operation that lasted several hours before recovering the woman’s body. After completing legal procedures, authorities handed the body over to her family for burial.
The incidents highlight the importance of exercising caution while traveling to mountainous regions during the monsoon season, when heavy rainfall can rapidly increase the risk of boating accidents and flash floods.
