49 children died. Overloaded boat capsizes in northwest Pakistanpolice said after divers spent three days dragging the bodies out of the frozen waters.
The boys, ages 7 to 14, are all madrasah students and were taken on Sundays for a day trip to the scenic Lake Thanda Dam.
“The water at the dam was frozen in the cold, hampering rescue efforts. But today, divers were able to dive deeper to retrieve the remaining bodies,” said a senior officer with Emergency Services Rescue 1122. One Khateer Ahmad said on Tuesday.
The bodies of a teacher and a skipper were also pulled from the water, leaving 51 dead, he added.
Muhammad Umar, who sells tea at a picnic area overlooking a popular tourist spot, said dozens of parents and relatives had gathered in recent days.
“Every time a body was recovered from the scene, they jumped on a diver to see if it was their son, and every time I heard them scream in pain and anguish,” he said. .
“I have never seen such a scene in my life. Words cannot describe it.”
Thanda Dam Lake is about 3 miles (3 km) from the Islamic School in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Police spokesperson Fazal Naeem announced the new death toll on Tuesday after the rescue operation ended. The military media department confirmed.
“The boat was overloaded. It held about 20 to 25 people,” Naeem said, adding that five people were rescued, including four students and a teacher.
The Pakistani army has released images showing divers crossing the lake in a rubber boat and then entering the water to search for the bodies.
“I got stuck under a boat,” said 11-year-old survivor Muhammad Mustafa from his hospital bed on Sunday. “The shawl and sweater were heavy, so I took them off.
Drowning is common in Pakistan, where aging and overloaded vessels lose stability and throw passengers into the water.
at least on the same day Bus crash kills 41 people To the canyons of southwestern Balochistan.
Last July, at least 18 women drowned when an overloaded boat carrying about 100 members of the same family capsized during a wedding procession between two villages.
