SIALKOT, Feb 10: Bajwat remained cut off from the rest of the district for the second consecutive day as the 36-meter long wooden bridge, recently rebuilt by the villagers on self-help basis , over the river Tavi near Saidpur Pattan, collapsed on Tuesday night due to low flood in the river.

The local boatmen refused to resume operation in the swelled river. People remained stuck up in their villages and could not come to the city and its adjoining areas to perform their duties.

The district government officials said on Thursday water level was continuously rising in all the rivers and seasonal nullahs in the district due to rains. They said although the flow of water was slowing down, water level was rising as a result of which boatmen refused to resume boating.

RAIN: Meanwhile, rain continued for the fifth consecutive day on Thursday. It started early in the morning and continued in intervals throughout the day, inundating low lying areas. Attendance in the government and private educational institutions and offices remained thin due to rain.

The low lying areas of the city including, district jail, district courts, railway station and Jinnah Stadium remained under three to four feet deep water.

Residents of these areas criticized the Sialkot Tehsil Municipal Administration for failing to drain out rainwater.

The local Met office recorded 44 mm rain in the district. It has forecast more heavy rains in Sialkot and Narowal districts and Occupied Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours.

THREE KILLED: Three people were reported killed and three injured in rain related incidents on Thursday. An unidentified old man died in the city reportedly due to cold.