Three tourists drown in Kunhar River near Naran

Driver lost control of the steering wheel and the vehicle skidded off the road falling into the river

NARAN: Three tourists lost their lives when they drowned in the Kunhar River near Faridabad, some 15 kilometers from Balakot, police told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

Five tourists were in a car when it plunged into the river. Two of them were rescued and are in critical condition, while the bodies of the three other could not be retrieved.

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Sub divisional police officer Syed Matloob Shah told reporters that five friends from Rawalpindi were on their way back home from an excursion tour in Naran, where they spent the night at a hotel.

When their car reached close to Faridabad, some 35 kilometers from Naran, Sunday morning, the driver lost control of the steering wheel and the vehicle skidded off the road and into the river.

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“Rescue workers managed to retrieve two of the five victims while three are still missing and feared dead. Those rescued are Tanvir and Zeeshan Abbasi, while Akhlaq Abbasi, Danish Abbasi and Rahat Abbasi are still missing,” the police officer said.

"Local divers tried to rescue the other three but the heavy current of water swept them away", he added.

Syed Matloob Shah said that this was the first accident of this summer.