MUZAFFARABAD: Three brothers and their cousin drowned in a high altitude lake in a remote area of Neelum valley on Sunday.

The bodies of three were fished out the same evening while the fourth one was retrieved on Monday, police said.

The incident occurred near Domel Bala, a high altitude village where the residents of Kel move to in summers according to local traditions.

Kel is located more than 160 kilometres northeast of here along the main Neelum valley road, and Domel Bala lies a further 25 kilometres ahead of it, but towards a sub valley of Neelum, known as Shounthar.

“In all, six boys were swimming in Dak Lake and four of them drowned on Sunday afternoon,” police official Naveed Ahmed told Dawn by telephone from Kel.

The small but deep pond is located close to the AJK’s border with Astore, and its excess water merges into Shounthar Nullah.

The deceased were identified as Zahid, 22, Naveed, 18, Rizwan, 16, sons of Gul Faraz, and Saqib, 20, son of Gul Hassan.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2014