Five children die of mysterious illness in Landi Kotal

Five children from the same family have died after being struck by a mysterious illness in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Landi Kotal, while two other affected children are being treated at the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) in Peshawar.

According to police, the incident occurred in Qaziano Kalay, within the jurisdiction of the Bazar Zakha Khel police station, where seven children from the same family suddenly lost consciousness.

The children were being shifted to the Hayatabad Medical Complex for medical treatment when five of them died on the way to the hospital.

Police said all five deceased children were under the age of five. They included three girls and two boys.

According to the district administration, the condition of the two surviving children, who are currently receiving treatment at the HMC, is stable.

On the deputy commissioner’s instructions, the assistant commissioner of Landi Kotal visited the hospital and inquired about the children’s health and medical treatment.

Medical experts said initial tests showed normal calcium and magnesium levels, as well as normal prothrombin time (PT) and international normalised ratio (INR) results.

The medical reports also recorded haemoglobin at 11.7 and platelet count at 634.

Doctors have recommended blood culture tests and a CT scan for further diagnosis. Additional medical tests will also be conducted to determine the cause of the illness.

Police said the immediate cause of the five children’s deaths remains unknown, while medical experts at the Hayatabad Medical Complex are investigating the case.