DERA GHAZI KHAN - Nine members of a family drowned after an motorbike rickshaw carrying 12 people went out of control and fell into a canal here on Saturday.
The motorcycle rickshaw carrying 12 people mostly women and children belonging to the same family fell into DG Khan Canal due to overspeeding. The local community rescued four people and the search to find out rest of the family members was still on in the evening.
As per details, the family comprising 12 people was going to a nearby village Vidore on motorcycle rickshaw when all of a sudden it went out of the control of the driver and fell into the DG Khan Canal.
The local population rushed to the scene and rescued four people including the rickshaw driver Talib Hussain, two women Kausar Bibi, Sakeena Bibi and a child Zeeshan.
Kausar Bibi said she was going to see off her brother who was likely to move to Saudi Arabia. Later on, the workers of Rescue 1122 rushed to the spot and started a search operation to find out the missing people.
Those who drowned in the canal include Sajida Bibi, Rabia Bibi, Saadia Bibi, Haseena Bibi, Zainab Bibi and Yasir Khan Bismillah. The bodies could not be recovered despite lapse of 12 hours. The police asked the irrigation department to close the DG Khan Canal, which was, however, yet to be closed.
Among the drowned six are children and three women.
Agencies add: However, Rescue sources said auto-rickshaw carrying schoolchildren back to home skidded off the road due to overloading and fell down into DG Khan Canal at Windour Bridge in Dera Ghazi Khan.
The rescue personnel managed to save three children while 10 others drowned.
Rescue divers soon after the incident launched operation for fishing the bodies of missing children.