TOBA TEK SINGH: Three devotees died when roof of a house adjacent to a shrine collapsed during windstorm and rain here on Wednesday at Chak 269 GB Kot Khitran near Rajana.

Villagers said 85-year-old Nusrat Ali, Muhammad Aslam (55) and Allah Ditta (60) slept in the room adjacent to the shrine of Baba Boddi Shah due to rain. Suddenly the ceiling of the room caved in and they were buried alive. Rescue 1122 recovered the bodies after removing the debris.

FIRE: A fire broke out on Wednesday in a house at Chak 738 GB near Kamalia, reducing valuables to ashes.

House owner Haq Nawaz Murana told reporters that goods worth Rs2 million were burnt in the fire caused by a short circuit.

Kamalia municipal committee fire brigade took two hours to extinguish the fire.

Mysterious disease: About two dozen animals died of some mysterious disease at Chak 369-JB, Jodha Nagri and Sarja during the last few days.

Farmers Rana Shahbaz, Saleem Ghumman, Furqan, Umer Hayat, Siddiq and Allah Ditta said their cows, buffaloes and bulls were dying. They said the livestock and dairy development department doctors from Toba, Faisalabad and Lahore had visited the localities but could not diagnose the disease.

Gojra Livestock Assistant Director Dr Ahmad Saeed told this correspondent that samples of blood had been sent to a Lahore laboratory for test.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2017