A woman was killed and six other persons of her family were rescued after a boat capsized in Kabul river in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, rescue officials said on Sunday.
The family came from Peshawar to Sardaryab, a popular tourist site along the banks of Kabul river near KP’s Charsadda district, and hired a boat for sightseeing, according to a Rescue 1122 spokesperson.
The boat capsized a short while later with one man, three women and three children aboard. A Rescue 1122 team, present near the spot, immediately launched a rescue operation.
“The rescue personnel, with the cooperation of the locals, took timely action and pulled all the victims out of the river,” the spokesperson said.
“During the rescue operation, a woman and a child were found unconscious. The woman was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in a critical condition by a rescue ambulance, where doctors confirmed her death.”
Boat capsizing incidents at recreational spots in Pakistan are often linked to overcrowding, lack of safety equipment, adverse weather conditions, and inadequate enforcement of regulations.
In many cases, families and groups visiting rivers, lakes, and reservoirs for leisure activities have been affected.
At least two women and two children drowned after a boat carrying tourists capsized in the Shahi Bagh lake in Kalam area of KP’s Swat in June last year, rescue officials said.