SHIKARPUR: Four children drowned in a fish pond near Faiz Mohammed Mangi village, some 35 kilometres from here, in Garhi Yasin taluka on Tuesday.

According to villagers, the children while playing with other kids advanced to the fish pond, located on the outskirts of the village, and jumped into it in excitement but could not come out.

The deceased children were identified as Hamza, 5, son of Mohammed Khan, Bisma, 4, and Barkha, 5, daughters of Saeed Ahmed, and Huma, 5, daughter of Nazeer Ahmed. They belonged to the Mangi community.

Officials at the Garhi Yasin police station said that villagers rushed to the site after receiving the report in an attempt to rescue the children but all the children had already died when they fished them out. “They were taken to the Garhi Yasin taluka hospital but the doctors on duty declared them dead on arrival,” the officials said.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2018