MANSEHRA: The bodies of two minor siblings, who drowned in the Kunhar River after falling from a rocky slope, could not be recovered even on the fourth day of the incident on Saturday.

“Rescuers have been searching for the bodies since the children fell into the river, but a large tree stuck in the middle of the river remains a major obstacle,” Balakot Assistant Commissioner Hasrat Khan told reporters.

Sameer, 8, and his sister Fatima, 6, had come from Balakot to visit their grandparents in the Tarapi area with their mother when they slipped from a rocky slope and fell into the Kunhar River in Kaghan Valley earlier this week.

Rescue teams also deployed heavy machinery in an attempt to remove the large tree stuck between rocks in the river, which, according to officials, is obstructing the flow and preventing the bodies from moving downstream.

“We have brought in heavy machinery to remove the tree, which has been here since the 2010 floods and has spread its roots all around in the river, but so far we have been unable to dislodge it,” Mr Khan said.

A large number of people gathered at the site to witness the operation, causing traffic disruption on the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road.

The official said that although water passed through a channel over 100 feet deep at that point, solid objects were unable to move downstream, leading rescuers to believe that the bodies may still be trapped upstream or buried beneath debris.

A group of local divers, experienced in search and recovery operations, was assisting rescue teams.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2026