ISLAMABAD, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people, including six children, were killed after a loader rickshaw carrying wedding guests plunged into a canal in the Kot Addu district of Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, rescue officials said on Tuesday.
An official from Rescue 1122 told the media that the accident occurred late Monday, when one of three loader rickshaws transporting a wedding party lost control due to overspeeding and fell into the canal.
The ill-fated vehicle was carrying 24 passengers returning from a marriage ceremony in the village Lomar Wala.
According to rescue officials, three passengers managed to swim to safety and alerted emergency services.
Rescuers, assisted by local residents, later pulled six survivors from the canal and recovered three bodies during the initial phase of the operation.
The search resumed on Tuesday, when rescue teams recovered nine more bodies, raising the death toll to 12, said the official, adding that efforts were continuing to locate the remaining missing passengers. ■