MULTAN, July 3: Two people, including a minor, have fallen prey to the water-borne diseases in Fort Abbas town of Bahawalnagar district while scores have been hospitalized.

According to reports reaching here, the incidence of water-borne diseases in Fort Abbas have increased to an alarming proportion for the last couple of days. Umair, 3, and Muhammad Sharif, 40, died of diarrhoea reportedly caused due to contaminated drinking water.

When contacted, Fort Abbas THQ hospital medical superintendent Dr Shahid said Umair had died before getting any medical aid, while Sharif died at the hospital.

He said at present about 65 patients were being treated at the hospital for diarrhoea and cholera. The management has to arrange extra beds as the number of patients with water-borne diseases have exceeded the 60-bed capacity of the hospital.

Dr Shahid said although the patients were coming from all parts of the town, the residents of ward No 8 and 9 seemed to be the worst-hit as majority of the patients belonged to these localities.

He said the municipality had chlorinated the water reservoirs while samples of the water consumed by the victims had been sent for laboratory tests to ascertain the exact cause of the outbreak of diarrhoea and cholera in the town.