Outrage and grief erupted on Friday after at least seven members of a Sialkot family drowned in the Swat River, including women and children, as videos circulating online showed the group stranded on a small island amid rising floodwaters—without any timely rescue response.
According to Rescue 1122, the family of 18 was having breakfast near the riverbank in the Mingora area when a sudden surge of water—triggered by heavy rains upstream—swept over them at around 8am. Only three people were reportedly rescued, while efforts to retrieve the remaining victims continue.
Videos circulating on social media showed a group stranded on a shrinking patch of land in the middle of a raging river, with no rescue boats or authorities in sight for hours. Bystanders filmed the moments as the group gradually disappeared into the current.
Citizens, including prominent voices from the media and politics, took to social media to criticise the delay in launching a rescue operation.
One X user wrote that no action had been taken by the district administration.
“An entire family was waiting for rescue, but no agency came in time. The silence of was deadlier than the flood,” wrote Rizwan Shah.
Journalist Rizwan Ghilzai wrote: “They waited for rescue, but no department came.”
“They kept waiting for rescue, but no one came… Eventually, they were swept away in front of everyone,” wrote another netizen.
Khadim Ali Khan Yousafzai, Central Information Secretary of PML-N Youth Wing, criticised the government’s inaction: “This is not only a tragic tragedy, but also exposes the weaknesses of our response system.”
Former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan demanded action against the district administration and said: “The incompetent administration has also turned tourism into a horror. Those who chanted the slogan of “tourism” instead of “terrorism” have turned tourism into terrorism through their incompetence.”
He called for FIRs to be registered against relevant officials.
Former minister Samar Haroon Bilour asked why Swat, a known tourist hub, lacked basic rescue infrastructure.
Veteran journalist Zahid Gishkori said the victims were clearly visible for hours but the government, local commissioner, and police chief failed to act. “The state could have saved these eighteen people today,” he remarked, sharing photos of the stranded group.
Critics pointed out that multiple videos from the scene showed the family stranded for hours without response. One tweet described the pain of watching death approach “with your own eyes”.
A X user accused the government of failing the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, pointing out that if the same incident had occurred in Punjab, it would have drawn immediate national attention and official accountability.
Advocate high court and Pakistan Peoples Party worker Zohaib Hassan pleaded: “Please don’t go near Swat River for enjoyment.”
