Rescue Boat Capsizes on Indus as Floods Ravage Eastern Pakistan; Nine Dead

A rescue boat evacuating people displaced by floods capsized on the swollen Indus River in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province this week, killing nine people, regional officials said Thursday.

The vessel, carrying about 20 people, overturned Tuesday after strong winds and fast currents caused it to lose balance, Musarrat Jabeen, the top government administrator for the region, told reporters. Rescuers initially recovered five bodies during an hours-long operation, and by early Thursday four more bodies were pulled from the water by teams that included Pakistan Army divers. Officials said the dead included women and children.

The capsizing occurred as authorities continued emergency operations in Jalalpur Pirwala and surrounding districts after deluges inundated villages following heavier-than-normal monsoon rains and repeated releases of water from overflowing Indian dams. On Saturday, five people died in a separate incident on the outskirts of Jalalpur Pirwala after the Chenab and Sutlej rivers flooded the area.

Rescue teams have been reinforcing an embankment to protect Jalalpur Pirwala after deluges began inundating nearby villages, displacing tens of thousands of residents. Relief Commissioner Nabil Javed said nearly 142,000 people in Jalalpur Pirwala and dozens of neighboring villages have been affected. Since Aug. 23, floods have submerged about 4,000 villages across Punjab, displacing 2.1 million people and killing at least 68, according to the Punjab Disaster Management Authority.

Across Pakistan, flooding since late June has killed more than 900 people. Many displaced residents in flood-hit areas remain in tents, on embankments or along roads while waiting for relief and evacuation assistance.

Residents of some hard-hit areas complained of insufficient government boats and said private operators were charging excessive fares for evacuations. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif visited the city and ordered police to take action against private boat owners demanding high fees, saying she had directed strict police monitoring of all boat operations.

Senior Punjab Cabinet Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said she was personally overseeing rescue and relief efforts after complaints from Jalalpur Pirwala residents. Authorities announced plans to compensate private boat owners for evacuation duties and said emergency services had deployed 100 boats equipped with life jackets and floodlights, along with four helicopters to assist with evacuations and food deliveries.

Officials and aid workers have continued search-and-rescue operations and relief distribution amid efforts to stabilize breached embankments and clear submerged roads. Army divers and local teams have been involved in retrieval operations and evacuations.

The flooding has compounded humanitarian needs across Punjab, where authorities and aid agencies face logistical challenges reaching isolated communities. Government officials cited a combination of abnormally heavy monsoon rainfall and repeated water releases from upstream dams in India as factors that exacerbated river swelling and overland flooding in recent weeks.

Relief officials said many displaced families have moved in with relatives, while others remain in temporary relief camps. Authorities urged residents in vulnerable areas to move to safer locations as water levels remain unpredictable and rescue teams continue recovery efforts.

The incidents highlight the ongoing crisis in Punjab, where large-scale displacement and repeated infrastructure failures have strained local emergency services and intensified calls for more coordinated relief and long-term flood mitigation measures.