MANSEHRA: Two young men drowned and three were rescued on Tuesday after they fell into a stream in Dubair area of Lower Kohistan district.

The police said five youngsters slipped into the Dubair stream while crossing it with the help of an electric pole, but three of them were rescued by the divers. They added that the bodies of Fazl Haq and Sagir Zareen were found under the New China Bridge.

Meanwhile, the Dubair residents affected by the recent floods gathered at the New China Bridge and blocked the Karakoram Highway to traffic.

Led by elder Malik Salahuddin, they said as the roads and bridges were destroyed or damaged by floodwaters, bodies should be shifted to the deceased’s native Gagh village by a government helicopter.

GASTROENTERITIS: Flood victims in Dubair and Ranowali areas of Lower Kohistan district have complained about the growing incidence of gastroenteritis.

Sarbaz Khan of Sanagai area told reporters on Tuesday that gastroenteritis claimed five lives in Dubair valley.

He said the families displaced by flash floods and sheltered in government schools were vulnerable to the intestinal infection.

Another resident, Shamsul Haq, complained that flood victims in the area didn’t have food and other essential goods after the destruction of bridges and roads by the monsoon disaster. He also said medical teams had yet to reach the residents.

The resident said the government had yet to initiate relief activities in the area.

“If relief and medical teams don’t reach flood victims soon, more deaths can be reported,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2022