NOWSHERA: Two friends, who were religious scholars, drowned in Indus River in Nowshera on Friday.

TNN correspondent reported that a group of Ulema was on picnic in Khairabad area of Nowshera. They were swimming in Indus River during the picnic when they drowned. The deceased were identified as Ihtesham and Alamzeb.

Sources said the deceased drowned despite the fact that they were good swimmers. The local people took part in rescue activities.

The relatives of the deceased said they called the Rescue 1122, but they did not come in time.

The incident in Nowshera happened a day after three children, including two sisters, drowned while swimming in Betani sub-division, which was previously the part of Frontier Region Lakki Marwat.

Sources reported that two sisters were bathing in a pool in Shadikhel area when the water level increased and both of them drowned. The deceased sisters were identified as three-year-old Sumaira and Umera.

Another such incident was reported from Baigan area of Betani sub-division where four-year-old Ziaullah drowned in a flooded stream. Local people said that they recovered the body of the child from water and handed over the body to his family.

In another incident in Nowshera, a boat caught fire in the middle of Kabul River, however, no loss was reported and all the people on board were brought to the riverside safely.

Boat riding was in full swing after Eidul Azha in Nowshera despite the ban imposed by the district administration to prevent any untoward situation. However, in Kund Park, the activity was in full swing since the Eid day without any safety gear. The ban was imposed after the July 3, 2019 incident when 50 people, including women and children, drowned when a boat travelling to Haripur from Shangla’s Dedal Kamach area capsized in Indus River in Tarbela, Haripur district.

On July 22, three children drowned in river Gambela in Kot Kashmir area of district Lakki Marwat. The children were bathing in the river when the incident occurred. Local people said that among the victims were two brothers and their first cousin. Local rescuers recovered the bodies from the river.

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