TAXILA: Three persons drowned in different parts of Attock on Tuesday, police and Rescue 1122 sources said.

In the first incident, three persons from the same family drowned in Indus River in Bagh Neelab area in the limits of Attock police station on the second day of Eid.

Khurrum Shahzad, his 17-year-old son Shaheer and daughter Warda, 12, entered the waters of Indus River when Warda lost her balance and started drowning. On seeing her struggling, her brother tried to save her but he too lost his balance and started to drown. Khurram Shahzad tried to rescue his children but he too could not maintain his balance.

In the meantime, a local boat owner saw the struggling family and joined the rescue effort. He managed to pull out Khurrum from the deep waters, but failed to save his children. Shaheer’s body was later recovered but that of Warda could not be found till the filing of this report. The body of the deceased was shifted by Rescue 1122 team to the District Headquarters Hospital in Attock.

In another incident, a teenage boy drowned in Ghazi Barotha water channel in Adalzai area in the limits of Hazro police station.

Police and rescue sources said Afzal Shah went to the water channel for picnic. He went into the waters but lost his balance and drowned.

It may be mentioned here that the Attock district administration has imposed Section 144 and banned bathing and swimming in water channels, but people continue to defy the ban.

Meanwhile, a teenage boy committed suicide by shooting himself with a pistol in Pathargarh village in the limits of Hassanabdal police station on the first day of Eid.

Quoting his family members, police said the boy was in distress as his parents had failed to buy him new clothes for Eid.

Police sources said Rasib Khan, 17, was in distress due to poverty. On Eid day he locked himself in a room and shot himself. His body was later shifted to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for autopsy.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2024