Three children among five killed as van falls into canal

SHORKOT:

A speeding van lost control and fell into a canal in Shorkot Cantt Police Station area on Thursday.

A family of seven was onboard, five of whom, including three children, drowned. Local people managed to rescue two men, Mohammad Aslam, driver of the van and Mohammad Munir, head of the family. They immediately reported the incident to Rescue 1122. The rescue team and locals attempted to fish out the remaining five passengers for three hours but all five drowned.

The deceased were identified as 20-year-old Fazla Bibi, 22-year-old Asma and minors Ayan, Hira, Mehrab. The van passengers were rushed to THQ Hospital Shorkot where doctors treated the survivors and confirmed the death of the five people.

All the deceased were residents of Sahiwal district of Harappa and were on their way to attend a wedding ceremony of a close relative.

Accidents have become commonplace near the Haveli Link Canal due to the long-running bridge under construction. Locals, including social activist Irfan Mustafa, have protested several times, but the department is not taking it seriously.

After taking necessary action, the police handed over the bodies to their relatives, who have taken the bodies to Harappa, Sahiwal.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar expressed regret over the incident and sought a report from Faisalabad Commissioner.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2022.