Rickshaw accident killed 22 people

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Twenty-two wedding guests were killed when the rickshaw they were riding in fell into a canal in northwestern Pakistan, police said Wednesday at the end of a recovery mission.

The three-wheeler was overloaded with 29 people when the accident happened on Monday, near the city of Dera Ismail Khan.

“We have recovered 22 bodies which include 16 women and six children”, Muhammad Ramzan, a senior police official, told AFP.

The victims were from the same extended family, and at least seven of them were from the same household, he added.

Seven people were rescued.

Bilal Muhammad Faizi, a spokesman for the local rescue agency, confirmed the death toll and said the last bodies were retrieved on Wednesday.

Rickshaws are a common mode of transport across Pakistan, and accidents occur frequently.

Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records for fatal traffic accidents, mostly blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. — AFP