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Dozens drown in boat accident in eastern Afghanistan - official

According to an official from the province of Nangarhar in eastern Afghanistan, a boat sank while crossing a river on Saturday, resulting in the tragic drowning of twenty individuals, including children.

AFP WORLD
Published June 01,2024
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Twenty people, including children, drowned when a boat sank during a river crossing in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Saturday, a provincial official said.

"A boat with women and children on board sank on Saturday morning at 7 am (0230 GMT) in the river in the Basawul area of Momand Dara district" of eastern Nangarhar, said Quraishi Badloon, the head of the province's information department, in a post on social media platform X.

He said five people survived the accident, the cause of hich was being investigated.

The Nangarhar Information and Culture Department said the authorities had sent a medical team and ambulances to the area, in a message shared with media.

At least five bodies had been recovered and efforts were underway to find the others, provincial government officials said.

Residents in the area regularly cross the river using boats often in poor condition, as there is no nearby bridge, local media reported.