A new CCTV footage shows that the response of Rescue 1122 during the recent incident in River Swat.
According to report, Rescue 1122’s medical ambulance reached the site 19 minutes after the incident—but it only had a medical team onboard. The team that arrived had no equipment to rescue those trapped in the river.
You can watch the footage here.
The footage shows no water vehicles, boats, or other relevant rescue tools accompanying the ambulance. The affected family got trapped in the river at 9:47am, and the 1122 ambulance arrived at 10:07am.
Rescue 1122 officials explained that the medical ambulance is always the first to reach any scene, and that the disaster response team and divers arrived shortly after.
On the other hand, the grief-stricken families claimed that rescue teams arrived after an hour and a half. Their loved ones were stranded on a sandbar, and they watched helplessly as the raging water swept people away.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has suspended several officials, including the Deputy Commissioner of Swat. The Chief Minister has also formed an inquiry committee to investigate the incident.
On June 27th, a sudden rise in River Swat caused 17 tourists to drown. Out of the visitors, 13 drowned after remaining stranded for around two hours. 12 bodies had been found, while a search for the last missing individual was under way.
Eyewitnesses say the tourists had gone to the dry riverbed for photos after breakfast when suddenly the fierce current surrounded them. People climbed onto a mound to save themselves and screamed for help, but the river’s flow was too strong for anyone to resist.
