MUZAFFARABAD, Aug 13: Four boys, between the ages of 11 and 15 died after drowning in an uncovered water tank in district Mirpur on Monday, police and residents said.

The deaths occurred in New Town Chaksawari in the constituency of Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed.

Relatives blamed the construction company, which they said had left the water tank uncovered.

New Town is being developed by Wapda under its Mangla dam upraising package.

The victims, including two brothers, did not return home after Fajr prayers on Monday and as their families launched search for them, they were told that their bodies were floating in the water tank, Sajjad Qayyum Khanpuri, a resident of Mirpur, told Dawn by telephone.

The victims who were buried in their Hamidabad village later in the afternoon were identified as Tayyab, 15, son of Salim; Usman, 14, son of Bashir; Sharjeel, 12 and Sohaib, 11, sons of Ashfaq.

According to Mirpur residents, water treatment tanks built within the town under Mangla package also pose serious threat to their lives particularly in monsoon season.

As those have not been covered by the concerned company.  Last year, three children drowned in treatment tanks, following which the government made announcements — yet to be fulfilled — to cover them for the safety of residents.