Three drown in Haripur

HARIPUR: Three individuals drowned in the Khanpur Dam reservoir in separate incidents on the same day, police said on Thursday.

Eyewitnesses said that a group of young people from Abbottabad were on a picnic at Khanpur Dam and began swimming near the old Masjid Rajgan. Two of the inexperienced swimmers, identified as Arsalan and Haseeb from Salhad Abbottabad, drowned. Local divers retrieved their bodies after a couple of hours.

In a separate incident, another man, identified as Waheed from Scheme III, Rawalpindi, drowned in the River Haro near Tarnawa bridge. The River Haro, which is fed by the seeping waters of Khanpur Dam and flows down to Attock, is a popular spot for tourists who often swim near Tarnawa bridge.

In response to the events, Haripur Deputy Commissioner Khan Muhammad has imposed a 60-day ban on swimming and bathing in the Khanpur Dam reservoir and River Haro under section 144 CrPC.