11 seminary pupils die in Kohat boat mishap

Their vessel capsized in Tanda Dam; search under way for the remaining students

KOHAT:

At least 11 children on Sunday died as a boat, carrying 25 to 30 passengers including madrassa students as well as the boatman, capsized in Kohat’s Tanda Dam, while the authorities were still searching for the rest of them.

The authorities managed to rescue six of the students, who were being treated at DHQ Hospital Kohat.

However, APP reported that 11 students were rescued and were being treated at the same hospital.

It also reported that four of the rescued students were in a critical condition.
Around 40 students of a seminary in village Mir Badshah Khel reportedly came to the dam for a picnic.

On the first trip, the boat successfully transported 15 students to the other side of the dam.

However, the boat capsized in the middle of the dam the second time when it was carrying 25 to 30 passengers as it was overloaded.

As soon as the news of the tragedy reached them, Kohat Regional Police Officer Dar Ali Khattak, District Police Officer Abdul Rauf Babar Qaisarani, and army personnel reached the scene.

Officials said the rescue teams were able to fish out 17 of the students, but 10 of them, aged between eight and 24 years, were unable to survive.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi said seven ambulances, four boats, two recovery vehicles and more than 40 personnel of his organisation were participating in the search operation, which was still under way.

The students who perished in the unfortunate incident included Irshad, Aziz, Salman, Ahmad, Majid, Abu Bakar, Waqas, Harris, Wahid and Naushed.

Their bodies were sent to their hometowns after legal medical formalities were completed.

To assist the army divers in finding the remaining eight students and the ferryman, teams were summoned from Kohat and Peshawar.

Kohat Deputy Commissioner Mahmood Aslam said venturing into the dam was closed by the authorities for recreational trips.

The commissioner handed over a list of the dead pupils to Reuters, according to which they were aged between seven and 12 years.

Video footage by local broadcasters and on social media showed rescuers in the water.

Caretaker Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Azam Khan, in a statement, expressed his grief over the incident.

He directed the district administration and rescue organisations to start a rescue operation on an emergency basis. “All available resources should be utilised for the safe recovery of the persons who drowned in the incident.”

The caretaker chief minister also instructed the commissioner and deputy commissioner of Kohat to personally supervise the rescue operation.
Provincial caretaker minister Khushdil Khan reached the scene too to monitor the rescue operation.

He said the caretaker chief minister had sought a report on the incident.
Khan added that the search operation would continue on Monday (today).

(With input from APP and Reuters)