18 tourists swept away in Swat River flash floods, 9 bodies recovered

SWAT: At least 18 tourists, including women and children, were swept away by flash floods in the Swat River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.

Rescue teams have recovered 9 bodies so far, including those of two children.

The tragic incident occurred at Fizagat, where tourists from the two families were having breakfast near the riverbank when a sudden surge in water flow swept several of them away.

A harrowing video of the incident has gone viral on social media, showing women and children trapped in the river as onlookers watched in shock.

Deputy Commissioner Swat, Shahzad Mehboob, confirmed that seven bodies have been recovered so far, adding that at least 73 people were trapped by sudden flash floods at multiple locations across Swat. He noted that rescue operations are facing serious challenges.

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses criticized the Swat authorities for their negligence, claiming that the tourists seen in the video had been stranded for nearly two hours before being swept away. Despite their cries for help, no timely rescue efforts were made.

The victims belonged to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department has predicted the onset of rain accompanied by thunderstorms in Karachi starting this afternoon today (June 27).

According to Met Office, the spell of intermittent rain is expected to continue until Sunday, with heavier showers anticipated tomorrow and the day after.

The Met Office stated that the second phase of the monsoon season will commence on July 5, with several monsoon spells expected throughout July.

Currently, sea breezes in the city remain completely suspended. On the previous day, Gulshan-e-Hadeed recorded the highest rainfall at 17 mm, followed by 13.4 mm on University Road and 12 mm at PAF Faisal Base.

Yesterday, heavy rainfall in Karachi caused more than 340 K-Electric feeders to trip, disrupting power supply across various areas of the city.