MULTAN; A tragic incident unfolded in Punjab’s Multan district on Saturday when a rescue boat evacuating flood-affected families capsized in the Chenab River near Jalalpur Pirwala’s Wacha Sandila area, leaving four people dead, including a woman and three children.
Rescue officials identified the deceased as 80-year-old Bakht Bibi, six-year-old Fatima, seven-year-old Amir, and three-year-old Mahnoor. Initial reports suggest that more than 20 people, mostly women and children, were on board when the boat overturned, though police later confirmed that around 30 passengers had embarked. At least 25 were rescued, six of them injured, while a two-month-old child remains missing.
According to Rescue 1122, the boat had been deployed to transport families to safer locations but capsized due to overcrowding and strong currents. An initial departmental report added that the vessel struck a tree in deep waters, causing many passengers to lose balance.
Divers, rescue teams, and local residents quickly joined efforts, retrieving bodies and pulling survivors from the river. Search operations continue with line and boat searches deployed to locate the missing infant.
The tragedy has cast a pall of grief over the local community, already reeling from weeks of devastating floods. Multan Commissioner Aamir Karim Khan and Rescue 1122 Secretary Dr Rizwan Naseer expressed sorrow over the loss of lives, while Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz extended condolences to the victims’ families.
Provincial Disaster Management Authority Director General Irfan Kathia ordered that the best medical care be provided to the injured and directed authorities to ensure no overloading of rescue vessels in future evacuations.
The incident comes amid one of Pakistan’s worst monsoon seasons in recent years. According to the NDMA, 907 people have died since late June, while millions remain displaced as floods have submerged 1,400 villages in Punjab alone. Rescue 1122 reports that in Multan district, more than 9,000 people and over 300,000 animals have already been evacuated to safety.
