At least 10 children were killed on Sunday when a boat carrying school students capsized in the Tanda dam in northwest Pakistan, officials said.
Nearly 25 students were on a picnic drowned after their boat capsized in the lake on Sunday, police said. The children were from a religious school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The students who had died were aged between seven and 12 years, according to initial reports.
Videos by local broadcasters and on social media showed rescuers in the water.
Another six were injured and had been taken to hospital, according to Furqan Khan, the deputy commissioner of Kohat district. Three students were reportedly in critical condition. Nine children remained missing.
Life-saving divers were called in from the provincial capital Peshawar due to unavailability in the region. People from the area also joined authorities in recovering bodies from the water.
Khan said an earlier group of 16 students was able to cross the lake. But the same boat capsized while taking 25 on the next trip. Initial reports suggest that “overloading resulted in the overturning of the boat,” he said.
Pakistan has witnessed similar incidents in the past as tourist attractions do not follow safety measures such as the use of life vests.
