Ten children died Sunday when their boat sank in a lake in northwestern Pakistan, a local security official said.
Police officer Mir Raouf, in a statement to Agence France Presse, said all the victims found at the Tanda Lake dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were between 7 and 14 years old and indicated that the rescue operation was still ongoing.
The policeman added that 11 children were rescued, including six in serious condition. The boat was carrying 20 to 30 students of the Koranic school who went on an excursion.
WATCH: #BNNPakistan Reports.
At least 10 children have died after their boat capsized in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. #TandaDam lake on Sunday, according to reports.
Mostly they were children from 8 to 10 years old. #Pakistan#Crashpic.twitter.com/LFDEcwsgRX
— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) January 29, 2023
Ten children drown after tourist boat capsizes in Kohathttps://t.co/Gj4qjS8hGT
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) January 29, 2023
Pakistan often witnesses mass drownings as the ships are often in poor condition and overloaded causing passengers to fall.
Many Pakistanis, especially women, cannot swim due to their country’s conservative customs.
In July, 18 women died when a wedding boat sank in the Indus River in Punjab province.
Source: AFP.