SWAT: Rescue teams in Swat are continuing their efforts to locate three tourists who remain missing after being swept away by flash floods in the Swat River, according to a report by ARY News on Saturday. So far, 11 bodies have been recovered, and four individuals have been rescued.
Deputy Commissioner Swat, Shahzad Mehboob, confirmed that 17 people were caught in the sudden flooding while gathered near the riverbank. The group included 10 tourists from Daska (Punjab), six from Mardan, and one local resident of Swat.
The DC noted that rescue operations are ongoing to trace the three still-missing individuals two from Punjab and one from Mardan. Rescue teams have already managed to save four people alive from the floodwaters.
Rescue officials explained that the group from Punjab was on a leisure trip and was having breakfast near the riverbank around 8:00 am when a powerful flash flood, caused by heavy rainfall upstream, surged through the area.
After breakfast, the group had ventured into a seemingly dry part of the riverbed to take photographs. It was then that a sudden wall of water engulfed the area, catching them completely off guard. Despite their attempts to reach higher ground and call for help, the current proved far too strong to escape or intervene.
“We received reports of the incident around 8:00 am,” a rescue official said. “These tourists were sitting on the bypass near the riverbank and were unaware of the approaching surge.”
This tragic incident follows a pattern of increasingly frequent extreme weather events in Pakistan. Just last month, 24 people lost their lives in violent storms and hail across various regions.
Pakistan ranks among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, and with a population of over 240 million, it faces a rising threat of severe floods, storms, and other natural disasters. The Swat incident is a stark reminder of the urgent need for climate resilience measures, especially in tourist and high-risk areas.
