DERA ISMAIL KHAN: At least 13 people drowned in a drain filled with toxic effluent from a sugar mills in Ramak area of Dera Ismail Khan on Friday. Eight others fell unconscious.

According to a man under treatment at a hospital, the people were wading across the drain to return to their homes after harvesting wheat when two of them fell unconscious due to the effluent from the Chashma Sugar Mills.

Other people jumped into the nullah to rescue them, but they also lost consciousness and drowned, he said. All the bodies were later retrieved.

Two children, two women and five members of a family were among those killed.

The injured man said there was no bridge to cross the drain.

Eight people were rescued, but were stated to be in critical condition in the district headquarters hospital.

Police said the drain carried toxic effluent from the mills to the Indus.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak ordered an inquiry into the incident.