At least 10 children killed after boat capsizes in Pakistan

At least 10 children were killed after a boat carrying students from a religious school capsized on a lake in northwest Pakistan.

Eight students were believed missing; seven injured children were brought to local hospitals, officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said.

The students who died were between seven and 12 years old, according to a list obtained by Reuters.

About 50 students from the school had gathered near Tanda lake for a picnic, the Australian Associated Press reported.

During the outing, about half the group decided to take a boat onto the lake — which had been closed by authorities for recreational trips.

The boat, carrying 25 to 30 students, capsized on the Tanda Dam Kohat. Rescue operations were continuing, officials said. Pakistani military divers were helping in the rescue and recovery efforts.

The tragic deaths came the same day a bus accident in southern Pakistan killed over 40 people.

In that incident, a passenger bus carrying 44 people from Quetta in Balochistan province to Karachi in neighboring Sindh province fell into a ravine and erupted in flames. The accident took place near the town of Bela in the Lasbela district.

Hamza Anjum Nadeem, assistant commissioner in Bela, said the bodies of 40 victims, including women and children, were recovered. Four others were injured.

“The accident happened due to over-speeding and the bus crashed into the pillar of a bridge. It caught fire soon after falling into the ravine,” he said.

The victims’ bodies were burned beyond recognition, Nadeem said.

Traffic accidents in Pakistan — generally attributed to traffic violations — kill thousands every year, officials say.

With Post wires