At least nine people died when a lifeboat hijacked during flooding efforts in Pakistan, authorities said Friday. The incident took place in a village near Multan on Thursday, said a statement from Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
It said the boat had saved 24 people from flooded villages as it overturned, adding that the remaining 15 were removed safely from the water.
Rescue officials say that villagers have refused to leave their homes in some parts of Pakistan in rural areas, especially without their cows, goats and other animals, one of their most important sources of income, which often leads to forced evacuations.
The rescue work in the region is “hard because people do not cooperate,” the authority said. Floods triggered by this year’s intense monsoon rain and raised rivers have killed 946 people, including 97 in the province, in Pakistan since the end of June and flooded large cuts of crops.
Authorities say the floods have submerged over 4,500 villages affecting more than 4.4 million people in the province since the end of August. At least 2.4 million people have been evacuated so far, they say.
Last week, five people, including a woman and four children, had lost their lives after a boat bearing flood victims hijacked during an evacuation operation in Jalalpur Pirwala.
According to Rescue 1122, more than 20 people were on board when the boat overturned due to strong streams of water. Rescue teams responded quickly and managed to save over a dozen people.
