Two young siblings were found dead inside a storage box on the roof of their home in Swat’s Mingora area on Tuesday, police confirmed. The discovery has sent shockwaves through the local community, as authorities scramble to determine how the children ended up trapped in the container.
The victims, identified as six-year-old Muhammad and his four-year-old sister, had been reported missing by their family just hours earlier. Their father, a local trader, told officers he returned home to find the house in a panic and the children nowhere to be found.
“We searched the immediate vicinity for hours,” a relative said, speaking outside the family home. “When we finally checked the rooftop storage, we found them inside. It was already too late.”
Initial police reports suggest the children were playing on the roof and may have climbed into the large, plastic storage box. The lid, which was heavy, appears to have snapped shut, trapping them inside without ventilation. Police officials noted that there were no immediate signs of foul play or external injuries on the bodies.
“It looks like a tragic accident,” said a senior officer overseeing the investigation. “The box was heavy and likely locked or sealed shut once they were inside. They didn’t have a way to push it open from the bottom.”
The bodies were shifted to Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital for post-mortem examinations. While the medical report is pending, investigators say they are treating the case as a case of accidental suffocation.
The incident has forced a somber mood across the neighborhood, where neighbors gathered throughout the day to offer condolences. For the family, the loss of two children in a single afternoon has left a void that few in the community can fathom.
Local authorities have urged parents to be vigilant about rooftop safety and to secure large containers that could pose a risk to curious children. For now, the house in Mingora remains silent as the family prepares for funeral rites.
