Five children from one family have died of a mysterious illness in Khyber district, and two more children from the same family are being treated at a hospital in Peshawar.
The seven children lost consciousness at home in Qaziano Kalay, in Bazaar Zakha Khel tehsil of Khyber tribal district. Police said the family was taking them to hospitals in Peshawar when five died on the way. The two survivors were admitted to the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), where they are still being treated.
The five who died were all under five years old — three girls and two boys — from the family of a man identified as Shah Ji.
Mysterious illness in Khyber: cause still unknown
Deputy Commissioner Khyber Shahid Ali said a special district administration team moved the children to Peshawar at once for medical care. He said the first medical tests had come back clear, but the actual cause of the illness was still unknown.
Medical experts at HMC are investigating the illness. On the deputy commissioner’s instructions, Assistant Commissioner Landi Kotal Inam Wazir visited the hospital and reviewed the children’s treatment, their medical reports and the facilities being provided. Hospital staff briefed him on the situation.
Initial laboratory tests showed normal calcium and magnesium levels, along with normal prothrombin time and international normalised ratio results. The children’s haemoglobin was recorded at 11.7 and the platelet count at 634. Medical specialists have ruled out poisoning after the tests found no evidence of toxic ingestion, YeJahan reported, and doctors have ordered blood cultures and a CT scan to establish the cause.
For now, no disease or medical condition has been officially identified as the cause. Earlier reports on Monday had put the death toll at four, with different details, before the later accounts from police and the district administration put it at five.
Why serious cases go to Peshawar
The tragedy underlines a familiar pattern for families in Khyber district. When a child falls critically ill in a remote village, there is often no facility nearby that can provide the emergency and paediatric care the case needs. The family must then travel to Peshawar, where the large public hospitals, including HMC, can take over.
In this case, that journey proved fatal for five of the seven children. They lost consciousness at home and died before they could reach a hospital in the city. The district administration said it was taking all necessary steps to ensure the best possible care for the two survivors and to determine what caused the illness.
Health pressures in the province are not new. A polio case in Khyber took Pakistan’s 2026 tally to eight, and mpox cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rose to 18 earlier this year. In the same district, a teacher shortage closed seven girls’ schools in Bara, showing how thin public services can run in the area. The province has also moved to release grants for municipal salaries as local bodies struggle to keep basic services running.
Administration response
The deputy commissioner said the district administration acted immediately once the case was reported. A special team shifted the children to Peshawar, and the assistant commissioner followed up at the hospital to check on their treatment.
Hospital staff briefed the visiting official on the children’s condition and the tests under way. The administration said the two surviving children would remain under observation until doctors could say what made the seven children collapse.
Police said the immediate cause of the five deaths remains undetermined. Medical teams at HMC continue their investigation, and no conclusive findings have been announced yet.
Frequently asked questions
What happened in Khyber?
Seven children from one family lost consciousness at their home in Qaziano Kalay, Bazaar Zakha Khel tehsil, on Monday. Five of them died while being taken to Peshawar, and two were admitted to the Hayatabad Medical Complex.
How many children died?
Five children died. All five were under five years of age, and they included three girls and two boys.
Where are the two surviving children?
The two surviving children are being treated at the Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar. They remain in hospital for further tests and close monitoring.
What caused the illness?
The cause is still unknown. Initial medical tests returned clear results, and doctors have ordered blood cultures and a CT scan to find out what happened.
What happens next?
Medical experts at HMC are continuing their investigation, and the district administration is monitoring the two surviving children. No conclusive findings have been announced yet.
