Three teenage sisters drowned while bathing in the Indus River on Saturday near the Dasu area of Upper Kohistan, police said.

“The three sisters went to Indus River for taking a bath when suddenly one of them disappeared in the river. Her two sisters jumped in the river to recover her but they also drowned," Station House Officer (SHO) Dasu Abdul Haq Hashmi told Dawn.com.

"Rescue work is in progress but none of the bodies have been recovered yet,” he added.

The three girls, identified as Bibi Saira aged 15, Bibi Rokh Taj, 12 and Bibi Sofya, 14, were daughters of Abdul Saboor, a resident of Shamat Khel, Dasu.

Locals have been struggling to recover the girls but the heavy flow of water is hampering their efforts.

A local told Dawn.com that it is normal for the people of Dasu to make their way to the river during Ramazan to beat the sweltering heat.