The search for at least two people who are unaccounted for continues after a boat sank with more than 20 people on board in a river in Nangarhar province, according to local Taliban officials.
At least 10 people drowned and 11 others were injured after the boat sank on Saturday in Nangarhar’s Bilayi area of the Mohmand Dara district, Nangarhar deputy governor Saeed Ahmad Banoori said.
Those who died include three women, two men, four boys, and a girl, Mr Banoori said. Those who have sustained injuries include three women, two boys, three girls, and two men.
The boat is believed to have been overloaded, and when the water reached the engine, it stalled in the middle of the river and sank, Mr Banoori said.
Nangarhar’s head of public health Aminullah Sharif reported that a mobile medical team arrived at the scene and rescued some individuals from the water, before transporting them to the provincial hospital for treatment.
Three children remain hospitalized, while the others have been discharged after receiving medical care, Mr Sharif said.
Local Taliban officials including Nangarhar’s deputy governor and the head of public health visited victims’ homes to offer condolences and pledge assistance.
Mr Banoori said that to prevent future incidents and to improve transportation for residents, the local administration plans to construct a cable bridge over the river.
Bilayi area residents commonly use boats to travel to other areas and districts as the region has a river about 1 kilometre wide bordered by mountains.
Recent rainfall has raised the river’s water level and increased the current’s speed, making navigation more challenging.
