Boat accident in northwest Pakistan kills 30 students

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – At least 30 students, most in their teens, died while several others went missing when a boat capsized at a dam in northwest Pakistan on Sunday, an official confirmed.

Divers fished out at least 19 bodies on Monday, raising the death toll to 30, Fazal Naeem, a police spokesman, told Anadolu by phone.

Some 40 students of a religious seminary were on a recreational visit at a dam in the Kohat district of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan.

Earlier, authorities said 25 students had been on board.

Some 11 bodies were fished out on Sunday, while divers managed to rescue seven children alive, Naeem said.

The search for any remaining survivors or victims will continue on Tuesday, he added.

The victims were reportedly 12 to 20 years old.

Tanda Dam, the site of the accident, is a famous recreational spot in Kohat which attracts hundreds of visitors every day.