According to Swat’s Deputy Commissioner, Shahzad Mehboob, 17 people were caught in a sudden flood while sitting near the river.
He said that 10 of them were from Daska (Punjab), 6 were from Mardan, and 1 was from Swat.
Rescue teams are still looking for 3 missing people — 2 from Punjab and 1 from Mardan. So far, 3 people have been rescued.
Rescue officials said the group from Punjab had come for a picnic. They were having breakfast by the river at around 8 a.m. when heavy rain upstream caused the water to rise suddenly.
17 Tourists Caught in Swat River Flood, 3 Still Missing
After breakfast, they went to a dry part of the river to take pictures. But all of a sudden, a strong wave of water came and trapped them.
The tourists tried to run to higher ground and shouted for help, but the water was too fast and powerful for anyone to save them in time.
A rescue worker said, “We got the call around 8 a.m. People were sitting by the river and didn’t know the water could suddenly rise.”
Background
Just last month, 24 people died in bad storms in Pakistan. The country has seen many extreme weather events recently, like hailstorms.
Pakistan is one of the countries most affected by climate change. Its large population of 240 million is now facing dangerous weather more often.
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