KOT ADDU: At least 11 people were killed after a loader rickshaw carrying members of a wedding party plunged into a canal in the Sinanwan area of Kot Addu in Muzaffargarh district.
According to Rescue 1122 officials, the rickshaw was carrying more than 24 members of a family, including women and children, when the driver lost control and the vehicle fell into the canal.
The family was travelling as part of a wedding procession to attend a marriage ceremony when the tragedy occurred, turning the celebrations into mourning.
People at the scene initially launched their own rescue efforts and managed to pull several passengers out of the water before emergency teams arrived.
Following the incident, Rescue 1122 teams, police and the district administration launched a large-scale search and rescue operation.
Rescue officials said 11 people were rescued alive and shifted to hospital for medical treatment.
Meanwhile, 11 bodies have so far been recovered from the canal, while two passengers remain missing.
Officials said children between the ages of three and 14 were among those reported missing.
Rescue teams have expanded the search operation to an area extending approximately 20 kilometres from the accident site as efforts continue to locate the missing passengers.
Divers and other rescue personnel are participating in the operation, while police and district administration officials remain at the scene to coordinate the rescue efforts.
The search operation was still under way as authorities continued efforts to trace the remaining missing members of the wedding party.
The exact circumstances that caused the rickshaw to lose control and plunge into the canal were not immediately clear.
