Heatstroke claims two more lives in Sehwan
SEHWAN (Dadu) July 23: Two devotees died of heatstroke while another drowned in Aral Wah here on Saturday, the third day of the 759th annual Urs celebrations of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.
According to the in-charge of Edhi centre of Sehwan, Ashfaq Khushk, volunteers recovered the body of Majid Hussain, 18, resident of Faisalabad, from Aral Wah. He drowned while taking bath in the canal. The body was sent to his native town.
A 55-year-old unidentified devotee had died of heatstroke on the taluka hospital road and his body was handed over to Edhi centre for burial.
He said that another unidentified devotee had died of heatstroke at the town ground and his body was handed over to them by police.
He said that 23 devotees died during the past five days.
Meanwhile, industrial and agricultural exhibitions and Malakhro (traditional wrestling) continued in Sehwan on the third day.
Devotees complained of traffic jam, non-supply of drinking water and electricity load-shedding. They said they were compelled to drink dirty water of Aral Wah, Sim Nullah and River Indus.
It was also complained that at most of places, officials of town committee and private persons were selling drinking water at the rate of Rs10 per 10kg bottle.
At Sehwan fort, a devotee, Juman, resident of Sukkur, said that he was using dirty water of Aral Wah for drinking because Mela committee was not supplying fresh and clean water to devotees.
He said that there was 10 to 11 hour-long electricity load-shedding at the fort due to which devotees were facing great hardship.
At the bus stand, a devotee, Mir Kandhro, resident of Khairpur, said that there was traffic jam for hours on the Sehwan-Dadu Indus Highway and at the Tando Shahbazi railway crossing near Sehwan, hence he had to travel five kilometres on foot to reach the town.