Punjab Flood Disaster: Boats Capsize, 3 Dead, 9 Missing, Over 2.1 Million Acres of Crops Damaged

Multan, Bahawalpur:Devastating floods continue to wreak havoc across Punjab, Pakistan, claiming lives and causing massive damage to agriculture. In recent incidents, boats carrying flood victims capsized in multiple locations, leaving **at least 3 people dead and 9 missing**.

According to **Dunya News**, two major boat accidents occurred in **Khan Bela** and **Mohanna Sandeela**:

* In **Mohanna Sandeela**, a boat carrying flood victims overturned, resulting in the **death of a 4-year-old child**. **18 people were rescued**, while **9 remain missing**, with a rescue operation underway.
* In **Khan Bela**, a boat with **20 passengers** capsized. A **2-month-old infant** drowned and died.

Another boat capsized in **Latti Mari**, Tehsil Alipur (Muzaffargarh), when a man tried to grab the edge, destabilizing it. Thankfully, all **10+ passengers** were safely rescued.

In **Bahawalnagar**, a **12-year-old boy drowned** in the Sutlej River near Basti Kallar Wali.

In **Noorwala, Tarinda Muhammad Panah**, **two more bodies** were recovered, raising the death toll from a previous boat accident to **8**, including **3 children, 4 women, and 1 man**. **One person is still missing.**

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### 🌊 Flood Situation Escalates

* **Head Panjnad (River Chenab)** is facing **extremely high flood levels**, with water flow exceeding **668,000 cusecs**, heading towards **Samka Chachran**.
* **Indus River (Taunsa Barrage)** is experiencing rising water flows of nearly **200,000 cusecs**.
* **Trimmu Barrage** has seen a slight decrease, but still directing a flow of over **188,000 cusecs** towards Sindh.
* **Sutlej River (Ganda Singh Wala)** continues to face high flood conditions with over **182,000 cusecs**, largely due to **continuous water release from India** over the past three days.

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### 🚨 Emergency Measures & Evacuations

To protect **Jalalpur city** near Multan, authorities **breached the Uch Sharif road** to divert floodwaters, as pressure on the temporary protective embankment remained dangerously high.

In **Liaqatpur, Noorwala**, floodwaters entered long-dry riverbeds, triggering emergency evacuations. Thousands have been rescued and relocated to safer areas.

Local authorities have stated that their **top priority is to safeguard lives, livestock, and property**.

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### 🌾 Agricultural Devastation

Punjab’s agricultural economy has suffered a massive blow, with more than **2.1 million acres of farmland** affected:

* **Cotton**: 110,850 acres destroyed
* **Rice**: 970,929 acres submerged
* **Maize**: 186,419 acres damaged
* **Sugarcane**: 220,344 acres affected
* **Fodder**: 400,500 acres ruined
* **Vegetables**: 115,260 acres lost

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The flood crisis continues to escalate, and authorities are urging residents of vulnerable areas to evacuate immediately and cooperate with rescue teams. Relief efforts are ongoing, but the scale of the disaster requires swift and large-scale government and humanitarian response.