SWAT: Death toll from the tragic boat capsize incident here rose to six on Thursday, the second day of the disaster, as a massive search operation remains under way to locate a 17-year-old girl, the seventh passenger still missing in Lake Saifullah in the Matiltan Valley of Kalam.

According to Shafiqa Gul, spokesperson of the Rescue 1122 Malakand Division, emergency control rooms rushed rescue teams and ambulances to the site immediately after receiving reports of a boat overturning in the lake. Following intense recovery efforts, the bodies of six victims were retrieved from the alpine lake and shifted to Kalam Hospital.

Four ambulances have since shifted the bodies of the six victims from Kalam Hospital to their ancestral hometowns in Punjab.

Meanwhile, specialised rescue teams remain deployed at Lake Saifullah, utilising advanced deep-water rescue equipment and all available resources to scour the lake for the missing teenager. District officials confirmed that the operation is being monitored continuously, with rescue personnel working round the clock.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2026