Wedding joy turns to mourning, Rickshaw falls into…
Muzaffargarh: A wedding celebration turned into a tragedy after an overloaded rickshaw carrying members of a wedding party plunged into a canal on Monday evening, leaving at least seven people dead and several others missing.
According to rescue officials, the incident occurred when the rickshaw, which was carrying a large number of passengers including women and children, reportedly lost control while travelling along the canal-side road. The vehicle skidded off the road and fell into the water.
Local residents and rescue divers immediately launched an operation to search for the passengers. Nine people were rescued alive and shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Some of those rescued were reported to be in critical condition.
Rescue teams have so far recovered the bodies of seven people. The deceased have been identified as 14-year-old Dilawar, son of Abdul Rasheed; seven-year-old Muneeb, son of Rashid; 58-year-old Sakina Bibi, wife of Allah Ditta; 15-year-old Sameera Bibi, daughter of M Shafiq; M Saim, son of M Iqbal; seven-year-old M Sabtain, son of Musharraf; and nine-year-old Raju, son of M Iqbal.
Several passengers are still believed to be missing. Those reported missing include M Bilal, son of M Iqbal; M Yasir, son of Fida Hussain; M Ali, son of M Shafiq; Usman, son of Ghulam Fareed; Shakir, son of Ashiq Hussain; Hassnain, son of Musharraf Ali; Iqbal Bibi, daughter of Fida Hussain; Kaleem Ullah, son of Basheer Ahmad; and Zareef, son of Wazeer Ahmad.
The rickshaw was reportedly carrying far more passengers than its permitted capacity, raising concerns about dangerous overloading. Rescue teams continued their search operation on Tuesday as authorities feared the death toll could increase.
The incident has cast a pall of grief over the families of the wedding party, with relatives anxiously awaiting information about their loved ones as the recovery operation continues.