Swat tragedy

Pakistan’s northern tourist hot spots appear to have become some of the country's most vulnerable places to inclement weather. No one is likely to have forgotten the 2022 Muree tragedy when at least 23 tourists lost their lives after being stranded in the middle of remote roads by a snowstorm. This week's monsoon rains is the latest addition to this grisly trend. At least 10 people lost their lives and four others went missing after a group of 17 tourists were swept away by a sudden surge in the Swat River on Friday morning. The group was on a leisure trip and had been having breakfast along the riverbank in the Mingora area when heavy rainfall upstream led to a rapid and unexpected rise in the river’s water level, as per reports. However, to call this rise in the river water ‘unexpected’ is somewhat of a stretch, especially when it comes to those running the tourist spot. They ought to have known that the risk of flooding increases whenever it rains anywhere in Pakistan, and it is no secret that the rainy season is here. While the water level may have appeared calm in the morning, the people running this site should be aware of just how quickly things can change after a heavy spell of rain. The word ‘flash’ in flash flood is there for a reason.

The fact that a large group of tourists still ended up having breakfast by the riverside indicates lax enforcement of safety procedures, a lack of awareness on the part of those running the site and/or bad early warning systems,