Nine fatalities occur as rescue vessel overturns in Bahawalnagar.

Authorities reported that at least nine individuals perished when a rescue vessel sank amid flood relief operations in southern Punjab on Friday, as the Sutlej River saw its most severe flooding in 40 years, ravaging extensive regions, inundating hundreds of communities, and displacing over 150,000 residents.

The Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported that the incident transpired on Thursday in a village next to Multan. The statement indicated that the vessel had rescued 24 individuals from inundated communities when it capsized, with 15 survivors being retrieved from the water.

Local officials in Minchinabad Tehsil reported that a Rescue 1122 vessel, transporting 22 individuals, including personnel, overturned near Mamoonka Basti. It was said that the deceased comprised two young guys, Adnan and Khizar, who were carried away by strong currents; their remains were retrieved the next day.

Authorities verified that the vessel, designed to accommodate a maximum of 15 individuals, was overloaded as passengers boarded despite multiple admonitions, transporting plastic containers packed with 400 liters of milk. It overturned only 15-20 meters from the shoreline.

Further catastrophes occurred in Chishtian, where 38-year-old Muhammad Hussain and 12-year-old Muhammad Asad drowned in distinct circumstances. The bodies were subsequently recovered by Rescue 1122 teams.

Rescue officials indicated that evacuations are challenging, since numerous villages are unwilling to depart without their livestock—cows, goats, and other animals important to their livelihood—often necessitating reluctant interventions by authorities.

The PDMA remarked that the rescue efforts in the region are challenging due to a lack of cooperation from the populace. The magnitude of the floods has been disastrous, instigated by severe monsoon precipitation and inundated waterways, officials stated.

The deluge has flooded a 154-kilometre section of the Sutlej in Bahawalnagar, engulfing over 400 communities. District authorities estimate that over 150,000 individuals have been rendered homeless in the region.

Officials reported that over 4,500 villages in Punjab have been inundated since late August, impacting more than 4.4 million individuals. To date, a minimum of 2.4 million individuals have been evacuated. Since late June, floods have resulted in the deaths of 946 individuals nationwide and devastated extensive areas of agriculture.

Local locals criticized the authorities for neglecting to implement precautionary measures, so exposing thousands to potential calamity. Survivors stay exposed to the elements, anticipating immediate assistance and governmental intervention as the Sutlej flood escalates into a humanitarian calamity.