Islamabad: At least 11 persons, including three women and seven children, of the same family were drowned after their vehicle plunged into a canal in Pakistan’s Punjab province, according to a media report.
The accident happened on Friday in Sheikhupura district when the vehicle heading towards Khanqah Dogran from Qila Didar Singh skidded off the road and plunged into the canal, ARY News reported.
After being informed of the accident, police and rescue officials rushed to the accident spot and retrieved the bodies from the canal. The bodies were shifted to hospital for medico-legal formalities, the report said.
Rescue officials were of the view that the van plunged into the canal due to over speeding and the unavailability of a safety fence along the road.
Among those killed are seven children, three women and a man, who belong to the same family, a senior police official was quoted as saying in the report.
Road accidents are common in Pakistan as every year thousands of people are killed in similar types of accidents.
In November last year, a rickshaw carrying family members in Punjab overturned and fell into a canal in which at least 19 people died.