Sawat River Tragedy: Investigative Report Released, Details of the Incident Unveiled

Sawat: The investigative report on the tragic incident that occurred at the Sawat River has been submitted to the Provincial Inspection Team by the Commissioner of Malakand. The report provides detailed information on how the incident took place.
According to the report, heavy rainfall had raised the water level of the Sawat River to 77,782 cusecs. Initial findings indicated that 17 tourists had become stranded in the flood, including 10 from Sialkot, 6 from Mardan, and one local person.
The report also revealed that construction work on the Sawat River had caused the water flow to be diverted to another direction. As a result of the redirected water, the water level at the incident site was lower, and the tourists ventured there.
Further details outlined that the affected tourists arrived at their hotel at 8:31 PM and entered the river at 9:31 PM. Despite the hotel security guard’s attempts to stop them, the tourists went around the back of the hotel. 14 minutes later, at 9:45 PM, as the water level increased, a call was made to the rescue team.
According to the report, relevant authorities arrived at the scene at 10:05 PM, 20 minutes after receiving the call. Alerts regarding the flood risks had been issued, and multiple warnings about bad weather were received by the concerned authorities.
The report also highlighted that emergency duties had been assigned to relevant officials in advance, and the decision to take action against encroachments along the riverbanks was made prior to the flood. Section 144 was imposed in the Malakand Division from June 2 for a month. On June 24, Section 144 was extended, prohibiting swimming and boating in the Sawat River.
The report further mentioned that four tourists were rescued immediately, and 12 bodies were recovered, while the search for one more person continues.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, 75 people from different areas of Sawat were swept away. As a result, the Deputy Commissioner, ADC, Assistant Commissioner of Babu Zai, and Khwaza Khela Sawat have been suspended. The District Emergency Officer and the Tehsil Municipal Officer of Sawat have also been suspended.
The report also mentioned that on June 28, the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa visited the site and imposed a ban on all mining activities in the area.