Boating accident death toll rises to 51 in Pakistan

The death toll from a boating accident in a lake in northwest Pakistan over the weekend reached 51, the military said Tuesday. The vessel was carrying children and teachers from a seminary on a picnic, Report informs via the Associated Press.

Police on Sunday said at least 10 students drowned after their boat capsized in Tanda Dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. They said then that the vessel was carrying 25 people.

Later, however, officials said the boat was overcrowded and in fact was carrying 57 people, mostly children, and at least 51 had died.

The military said in a statement that divers from the army and local emergency service rescued five survivors. It said the search for the remaining person was continuing.

Such accidents are common in Pakistan, where rickety wooden boats are often used to transport goods and people on rivers and lakes. Most operate without life jackets.