At at least 19 people drowned Monday. Several others were missing following an unmanned boat sank on the River Indus near Machka, just 65km far from Rahim Yar Khan.

The boat, which was carrying the wedding party of nearly 100 guests, was on its way back to Rajanpur to Machka when the incident took place, Rahim Yar Khan Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza said.

He said that the passengers claimed were part of the Solangi clan. He added that the vessel capsized because of “overloading and a high flows of the water”.

The DC stated that as soon as the incident was confirmed, 30 rescuers, five ambulances, as well as water rescue vehicles arrived on the scene.

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“Nineteen bodiesof all females have been removed from the water , while a rescue operation is on the go to locate the other people who were on the boat,” he added.

This week this week, officials from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority of Punjab issued an alert warning about heavy rains that would hit the province between July 15 and 17 and urged people to stay clear of getting into the water.

“Medium or high level flooding can be predicted in the hills in the Dera Ghazi Khan division from July 15 through July 17″ the report had stated in its report, noting flash floods might be observed in nullahs and rivers.