- Seven bodies, survivors shifted to Daska.
- Search for three missing people still underway.
- Kundi assails KP govt for lack of timely response.
PESHAWAR: Death toll in the Swat River tragedy rose to 10 after another tourist’s body was recovered on Saturday during an ongoing search operation for the victims who are still missing.
At least 17 local tourists hailing from Sialkot having picnic at Swat River were swept away by a sudden surge of water.
The affected individuals, who were on a leisure trip, were having breakfast by the riverbank in the Mingora area at around 8am when heavy rains upstream caused an unexpected and rapid increase in water flow on Friday.
Initially, bodies of nine victims had been recovered and four were rescued, while search continued four others who were left missing in the river.
Another body was recovered this morning, taking the death toll to 10. Meanwhile, seven bodies along with survivors were shifted to Daska.
Taking notice of the incident, KP government formed an inquiry committee, tasked with determining the reasons behind the tragic flash flood incident and identifying any responsible individuals or institutional lapses.
Reacting to the tragic incident, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has censured the CM Ali Amin Gandapur-led provincial government and failure to ensure timely response and preventive measures.
“This is not just incompetence. It is a shameful failure of duty,” Governor Kundi wrote in a post on X.
Furthermore, in a separate video message on X, the governor urged CM Gandapur to “show moral courage and resign without delay” as he was both the provincial chief executive and also held the tourism portfolio.
Kundi’s criticism echoes the public outrage over multiple videos of the affected tourists, including women and children, stranded on a small island in a precarious situation, waiting for help as raging river flowed around them.
Videos circulating on social media showed a group stranded on a shrinking patch of land in the middle of a raging river, with no rescue boats or authorities in sight for hours. Bystanders filmed the moments as the group gradually disappeared into the current.
Citizens, including prominent voices from the media and politics, took to social media to criticise the delay in launching a rescue operation.
With Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordering an immediate search operation for the missing persons, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the local administration have been directed to issue precautionary measures near rivers and streams amid extreme weather conditions across the country.
