At least seven members of a family – including two women and five children – died after their vehicle plunged into a canal in Rahim Yar Khan, while two teenage boys remained missing, Aaj News reported citing rescue teams.

They added that the accident took place while the family was on their way to Rahim Yar Khan, near the Kot Samaba area of the city. In a bid to avoid a traffic jam on the 86 Wala Bridge, the driver took an alternate dirt road that runs along the canal. It was then that the vehicle slipped and plunged into the water.

At least six killed, 14 injured in road accident in Khuzdar

Sources related to the rescue team said that the deceased were identified as Mursaleen Bibi, Rabia Bibi, Atif, Mubashir, Mushtaq, Faizan, and Rafique.

According to the police, two teenagers, namely 18-year-old Arsalan and Irfan, 15, were still missing and a search operation was underway. The bodies of the deceased have been sent to the hospital.

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics traffic accidents data, which is available on its website, showed that as many as 10,429 accidents were reported in 2020-21. Around 4,721 were fatal and 5,708 were non-fatal out of the 9,701 accidents. Moreover, more than 5,000 people were killed and over 12,000 got injured in such incidents.