49 boys drown in Pakistan boating accident

PESHAWAR: Forty-nine children died when their overloaded boat capsized in northwest Pakistan, police said Tuesday (Jan 31) after divers spent three days dragging bodies from freezing waters.

The boys aged between seven and 14 were all students of a madrassa and had been taken for a day trip to the scenic Tanda Dam lake on Sunday.

"The water of the dam was freezing due to cold weather that impeded the rescue mission. But today the divers were able to dive deep to recover the remaining bodies," said Khateer Ahmad, a senior official with Rescue 1122.