At least nine people from one extended family died when floodwaters swept away children in a river in northern Pakistan and their relatives jumped into the water to try to save them, officials said yesterday.
The family were having a picnic breakfast by the Swat River and the children were in the water taking photos when a flash flood occurred, district administrator Shehzad Mahboob said.
Relatives rushed in but were caught up in a deluge exacerbated by monsoon rains, he added.
It was still too early to say exactly how many children and how many adults had died, Mahboob told Reuters. Nine bodies have been recovered so far, he said. Four members of the family are still missing while another four were rescued.
The family group were on a trip visiting the picturesque and mountainous Swat Valley, local mayor Shahid Ali Khan said.
Locals and more than 80 rescue workers were searching for survivors, rescue official Shah Fahad said.
“They went to take some selfies. There was not much water at that time. Suddenly floodwaters came and swept away the children. The water current was so strong that it looked like a dyke had been breached,” a relative of the family who did not give his name told Reuters TV.
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