Mysterious illness claims lives of five children from same family in Khyber

PESHAWAR: Five children from the same family died while two others were left unconscious after being struck by a mysterious illness in Qaziano Kalay, in Khyber district, police said on Monday.

According to the local police, the seven children belonging to the Shah Ji family were affected by the illness in the Bazar Zakha Khel area, within the jurisdiction of Bazar Zakha Khel police station.

The affected children were being shifted to Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) in Peshawar when five of them died on the way, police said.

The deceased, all reportedly under five years of age, included three girls and two boys.

The two surviving children were taken to HMC, where they were receiving medical treatment, according to police.

The immediate cause of the deaths and the illness remains unknown.

Meanwhile, the Khyber health department has dispatched a special medical team to the affected locality to investigate the deaths and determine the nature of the illness.

According to the department, the team will examine the circumstances surrounding the children’s deaths and unconsciousness and investigate the possible cause.

The health department said the actual cause of the deaths had yet to be established and that investigations were under way.

It added that findings would be shared with the public once medical examinations and investigations had been completed.