Six Children Among Victims as Rescue Operation Continues
At least 12 people, including six children, have died after a loader rickshaw carrying members of a wedding party plunged into the Muzaffargarh Canal in Punjab’s Kot Addu district.
The accident occurred on Monday night near Sheikho Sugar Mills in Sanawan.
The passengers were returning after attending a wedding ceremony in a nearby village when the vehicle fell into the canal.
According to Dawn, three loader rickshaws carrying wedding guests were travelling from Lomar Wala towards Basti Arain.
One of the vehicles reportedly lost control and plunged into the canal.
Initial reports attributed the accident to excessive speed. Other Rescue 1122 accounts also cited overloading as a possible factor. The exact cause remains subject to official investigation.
Dawn reported that the affected rickshaw was carrying around 24 people.
Other preliminary official accounts put the number at 26, indicating authorities were still reconciling passenger figures as the search continued.
Survivors Escape Canal and Alert Rescue Teams
The scale of the tragedy became clear after three passengers managed to escape from the canal and raised the alarm.
Local residents immediately joined rescue efforts before Rescue 1122 teams reached the site.
On Monday night, rescuers and community members pulled several passengers from the water alive and recovered the first three bodies.
The operation continued through Tuesday as teams searched further downstream.
Kot Addu Rescue in-charge Osama Zeeshan said nine additional bodies were recovered on Tuesday, raising the confirmed death toll to 12.
The victims included six minors.
Authorities said the operation remained active as rescuers searched for people who were still unaccounted for.
Eight professional divers and 22 swimmers from Kot Addu and Muzaffargarh districts were participating in the operation alongside members of the local community.
Rescuers have been forced to search a vast area because of the powerful current.
Bodies were recovered as far as five, seven, 15 and 20 kilometres from the location where the rickshaw entered the water.
Search teams had covered approximately 32 kilometres of the canal by Tuesday.
Strong Canal Current Complicates Search for Missing Passengers
The Muzaffargarh Canal presents particularly difficult conditions for rescue teams.
According to rescue officials, the canal is approximately 12 to 15 feet deep and between 100 and 120 feet wide.
Water flow was estimated at between 2,500 and 4,000 cubic feet per second.
The strong current can rapidly carry victims far away from the original accident location, explaining why some bodies were found many kilometres downstream.
The canal is an important irrigation channel serving agricultural land across the Kot Addu and Muzaffargarh areas.
It reportedly supplies water to around 800,000 acres of farmland.
Kot Addu District Police Officer Mansoor Qamar also visited the scene and reviewed rescue efforts.
Police and rescue authorities are continuing efforts to establish the exact number of people who were travelling in the vehicle and determine what caused the driver to lose control.
The latest incident has again highlighted the dangers associated with overloaded small passenger vehicles, particularly when large groups travel together for family events.
Earlier in 2026, another wedding party suffered tragedy in Punjab’s Lodhran district when a bus overturned, killing four people and injuring dozens.
In Kot Addu, however, the immediate focus remains on locating everyone still missing and providing support to families affected by the devastating canal accident.
