MANSHERA: A tourist from Quetta and a first-year student drowned in separate incidents in Kunhar River in Kaghan Valley on Wednesday.

Kaghan police station SHO Raja Sajid said Mohammad Ramazan, 23, fell into the river while taking selfies on large rocks near the water’s edge.

“The tourist lost his footing and plunged into the strong water flow,” Mr Sajid told reporters.

Local divers were struggling to recover Ramazan’s body due to dangerously high water level caused by melting of snow in the upper valley.

“The increased water flow is severely hampering the rescue efforts,” Mr Sajid said.

He said police and experienced local divers continued searching despite the challenging conditions.

In a separate incident, a first-year student, Abdullah Khan, drowned while swimming in the Malkandi area of Kaghan Valley.

Residents reported that the student slipped into deep water and was swept away by the strong waves in the river.

Manzoor Khan, a resident of Tutain Jarad area, and currently living in Mansehra, said his family had returned to their native village to celebrate Eidul Azha.

“My son went swimming with his younger sisters when the strong water flow in the river pulled him under,” the grieving father told reporters as search efforts for his son’s body continued.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2025