Reuters
People and rescue workers gather after a boat carrying religious school students capsized in Tanda lake in Kohat, Pakistan January 29.
Pakistani rescue workers recovered 21 more bodies from a dam in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, taking the death toll of Sunday's boat incident to 52, an official said on Tuesday.
Students of a seminary were aboard the boat when it capsized in Tanda Dam in the Kohat district of the province on Sunday morning, District Police Officer Abdul Rauf Babar Qaisarani said.
All of the drowned so far recovered were aged between seven and 14 who came to the dam for a picnic, said the official, adding that the search operation for two more missing students is still underway.
The Pakistani army and navy were taking part in the relief operations at the lake to assist the local administration in their rescue activities.
Earlier, police and local authorities provided contradictory figures for the number of students on board. They initially said around 25 to 30 people were on board the ill-fated boat, but later reported that there were at least 58 people.
The accident occurred due to the overloading of the boat, Deputy Commissioner of Kohat district Furqan Ashraf told the media, adding that the dam was closed by authorities for any recreational tours, but the seminary students ventured into the dam without permission.
A case has been registered against the boat operators and other relevant personnel, he added.