UPPER DIR: Three people of a family died of suffocation when they slept while burning coal to heat up their room in the far off Hatan Darra area of Upper Dir district, police said on Saturday.

The victims, Shahidullah, his brother Kifayatullah, and nephew Shahid Khan, had rented a room in Hatan Darra area where they worked at a sawmill. They had burnt coal in their room during the night due to extreme cold, but were found dead in the morning.

Another inmate, whose name could not be ascertained, was rescued in unconscious condition, and was shifted to hospital.

They belonged to Maidan area of Lower Dir. The bodies were shifted to their native villages. -Correspondent