RAWALPINDI: A teenage boy and his seven-year-old sister died of food poisoning while their father and other family members were hospitalised in a critical condition, police and relatives of the victims said on Wednesday. The incident occurred at Jhand in the district of Attock on Tuesday night.

Shaukat Mehmood, a close relative of the family, said his brother-in-law Mehboob Ahmed, 60, along with his family members took meal and fell ill in their house at Jhand.

“They had taken yogurt with the meal which was possibly poisonous or a lizard might have fallen into it. After taking the food, the family members fell ill and were taken to a local hospital.

He said Tashfeen died at the hospital while her elder brother Haris, 13, was referred to Rawalpindi. However, he also died before reaching the hospital in Rawalpindi.

Tashfeen was a student of prep class while Haris was in class 7th in a local school, he added.

“It is very tragic that two children are being buried today while the remaining members of the family are struggling for their lives in different hospitals,” Mr Mehmood said.

He identified the other food poisoning victims as Mr Ahmed’s sons Basit, 8, Mudassir Ahmed, 28, and Umar Ahmed, 20; Mehvish, 20, wife of Mudassir, and daughters Furkan, 3, and Malika, 12.

Mr Mehmood said his brother-in-law was a retired official of the Malaysian armed forces.

According to the DHQ hospital sources, two of the victims of food poisoning - Ms Mehvish, the pregnant wife of Mudassir, and her father-in-law Mehboob - were in a critical condition.