SWAT - As many as 16 people, including five women and 10 children, were killed and seven others injured when a truck fell into the River Swat near Kalam on Tuesday morning.
The wounded were shifted to a Kalam hospital for medical treatment by locals and police. According to details, a truck was carrying three families from Punjab that were on a recreational trip. As they reached Pashmal area near Kalam, the truck fell into the River Swat. As a result, 16 people, including 5 women and 10 children, drowned and seven others were injured.
Rescue teams arrived at the spot and started shifting the wounded to Kalam Hospital for medical treatment while all the wounded tourists were shifted for better medical treatment to Saidu Sharif Hospital.  Shakeel Khan, a police official, confirmed the death toll and said that the injured had been shifted to Saidu Sharif Hospital for better health facilities.
All of the deceased belonged to one family, he added. According to some other reports, the truck had three families and the depilated condition of the road was the reason for the accident.
When contacted, Swat Deputy Commissioner Mehmood Aslam Wazir said the accident occurred due to negligence of the driver and excessive speed of the truck.
It is pertinent to mention here that despite tall claims of both the provincial and federal governments to boost the tourism sector in the Swat valley, the roads of upper region were not constructed after the 2009 flash floods. The locals have urged the government to take immediate action and order early repair of the Swat valley roads.