MANSEHRA, Aug 15: At least 16 people, including five members of a family, drowned in various parts of the NWFP on Sunday. The five members of a family belonging to Dhok Hassu, Rawalpindi, were swept away by strong waves of Kunhar river in the Kaghan valley.

Sixteen people belonging to one family, returning from a tourist spot of Naran, stopped in Pine Park Hotel, Khanian, for lunch.

A woman, Aasia, while walking along the river Kunhar, slipped from a rock and fell into the river. Her father-in-law Chaudary Ghulam Sarwar jumped into the river for rescuing her and drowned. One after another, family members Khuram Shahzad, Naureen and Shahnaz Bibi followed suit and were swept away.

The body of only Chaudhry Ghulam Sarwar could be fished out while search for other victims was in progress.

In another incident, five people Abdur Razzak, Kamran, Bashir, Naveed and Farooq of Loharbanda Mansehra were injured when their car fell into a deep ravine near Sangar on the Kaghan valley road. They were on their way to Naran. They have been admitted to Ayub Hospital Complex Abbottabad where two of them are stated to be in a critical condition.

In a third accident, a Jabouri-bound wagon (No 2547) fell into river Seron in the Bhogarmang valley. As a result, Tayyaba, daughter of Babu, was killed and 16 others suffered injuries. Wagon driver Shahzad and a woman are stated to be in critical condition.

Our Dera Ismail Khan Correspondent adds: Four people drowned while bathing in the Chashma barrage, while one drowned in the Paharpur Canal.

Bilal, Shakeel, Hashmat and Hafiz Sajid, who had gone for a picnic, drowned in Chashma Barrage.

Our Nowshera Correspondent adds: Five picnickers drowned in the Sindh river, while two others were rescued near Kund national park on Sunday evening. The deceased were identified as Wisal, Saeed, Waqar, Ramzan and Karim.