GUJRAT, Oct 11: Two children died while six of their family members along with some other villagers were hospitalised due to outbreak of an epidemic in Kathala Sharif, Karrianwala (some 50km from here) on Tuesday evening.

Area people claimed that symptoms of the disease were like that of cholera or diarrhea. They feared that this might happen owing to contaminated water.

The two children who died were identified as Lubna (5) and her brother Shah Nawaz (2). Their mother Jamila, brothers Salman, Falak Sher, and sisters Khadija, Hina and Bhag Bibi were in hospital.

The other affected villagers were identified as Bashir, Mudassar Iqbal and Inayat Bibi.

The patients were first admitted to the Karrianwala BHU from where they were shifted to the DHQ Hospital owing to their critical condition.

EDO (Health) Dr Talat Iqbal accompanied by DHO Dr Riaz Cheema and MS Dr Abbas Gondal visited the emergency ward to enquire after the patients

They said all the patients were stable now.