SARGODHA/MUZAFFARGARH, Aug 14: Twenty-one picnickers were feared drowned in Jhelum and Chenab rivers on Tuesday.

Reports from Khushab said 15 young men drowned while taking bath in Jhelum, 35km from Sargodha.Hailing from Shahpur and Khushab, these people gathered near the river bridge and started taking bath. Soon they slipped into deep waters and drowned. According to unofficial sources, seven bodies had been fished out while the rescue operation was going on with the help of searchlights.

The police sources said that the bodies of Abdul Razaq of Shahpur city and Hasnain Raza of Khushab had so far been recovered. Police believed only two people had drowned.

In another incident, six members of a family went missing when a boat carrying 11 people capsized in Chenab at the West Bank railway station near Muzaffargarh.

Police and civil defence officials said 11 young picnickers were going to Chenab on five motorcycles. Due to a traffic jam at the Chenab Bridge they hired a boat to reach the river bank and boarded it along with their two-wheelers. As the boat reached in the middle of the river, it capsized due to overloading.