Nine die as rescue boat capsizes in Bahawalnagar

At least nine people died when a rescue boat capsized during flood relief efforts in southern Punjab, authorities said Friday, as the Sutlej River's worst flood in 40 years continued to devastate vast areas, submerging hundreds of villages and displacing more than 150,000 people.

According to the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the accident occurred on Thursday in a village near Multan. The statement said the boat had rescued 24 people from flooded villages when it overturned, with 15 survivors later pulled from the water.

Local authorities in Minchinabad Tehsil said a Rescue 1122 boat, carrying 22 people, including staff, capsized near Mamoonka Basti. They said the dead included two young men, Adnan and Khizar, who were swept away by powerful currents; their bodies were recovered a day later.

Officials confirmed the boat, with a maximum capacity of 15, was overloaded after passengers forced their way on board despite repeated warnings, carrying plastic containers filled with 400 litres of milk. It capsized just 15-20 metres from shore.

Additional tragedies were reported in Chishtian, where 38-year-old Muhammad Hussain and 12-year-old Muhammad Asad drowned in separate incidents. Both bodies were later retrieved by Rescue 1122 teams.

Rescue officials said evacuations remain difficult, as many villagers refuse to leave without their livestock — cows, goats, and other animals central to their livelihood — often compelling authorities to carry out reluctant removals.

"The rescue work in the region is tough because people are not cooperating," the PDMA noted. The scale of the floods has been catastrophic, triggered by intense monsoon rains and swollen rivers, the officials added.

The deluge has inundated a 154-kilometre stretch of the Sutlej in Bahawalnagar alone, submerging nearly 400 settlements. District authorities estimate around 150,000 people have been left homeless in the area.

Across Punjab, officials said over 4,500 villages have been submerged since late August, affecting more than 4.4 million people. At least 2.4 million have so far been evacuated. Since late June, floods have killed 946 people nationwide and destroyed large tracts of crops.

Local residents accused the authorities of failing to take preventive measures, leaving thousands exposed to disaster. Survivors remain under the open sky, awaiting urgent relief and government attention as the Sutlej flood increasingly takes the shape of a humanitarian crisis.

(WITH INPUT FROM REUTERS)