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Pakistan

Pakistani rescue boat hits live wire, 14 killed

MULTAN, Pakistan, July 11 (Reuters)

  • A boat rescuing flood-hit Pakistani villagers hit a power cable on Monday and 14 people, including eight children, were electrocuted, police said.

About 40 villagers were on board the boat at the time of accident near Rojhan, a town in central Punjab province where overflowing rivers have forced about 320,000 people from their homes in recent days.

The rescue boat struck the electric cable, which then fell onto the vessel, said district police officer Farhat Abbas.

Three people were missing, he said. Others on board were rescued but some suffered burns, he said.

Before Monday's accident only three people in Punjab had been reported killed in the flooding, caused by heavy rain and snow melting in the Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains.