Pakistan Flash Floods: 9, including children, swept away in swollen waters; they had come for a picnic | Video

A family outing turned tragic in Pakistan when nine out of eighteen members of a group were carried away by the raging waters of the Swat River during flash floods -- and lost their lives. The chilling video of the incident, now doing the rounds on social media, is said to be from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

In the clip, a group of people are seen standing on a rock - trying to maintain their grip as roaring floodwaters flow due to intense rainfall in the region. However, Mint couldn't confirm the authenticity of the video.

“Rescue operation is being conducted at five different locations and 80 personnel of Rescue 1122 are participating in the search operation,” Rescue 1122 Director General Shah Fahad told Reuters.

A member of the group told the news agency that they were having breakfast while the children played in the water and clicked selfies.

"They went to take some selfies. There was not much water at that time. Suddenly, floodwaters came and swept away the children. The water current was so strong that it looked like a dyke had been breached," he said. He added that “victims waited more than two hours for official rescue services to arrive.”

Rescue officials said they received information about the drowning incident around 8 am, adding that the people were “not aware of the water relay.”

By the time rescue teams and police reached the spot, four individuals had already been swept away, the officials said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “expressed his grief over the tourists' deaths,” according to a statement from his office. He also said he had directed authorities to strengthen security measures around streams and rivers.