14 family members killed as truck falls into canal in Pakistan

At least 14 members of the same family were killed and nine others injured after a truck plunged into a canal near Sargodha city in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Seven of the injured are reported to be in critical condition. The accident occurred around 11:00 p.m. on Friday (January 16) in the Darbar Panjpiran Manawan area of Khushab district.

Citing police sources, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn reported that the truck was carrying a total of 23 passengers, including four children and five women. The vehicle was traveling from Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to Khushab when it lost control amid dense fog and fell into the canal. Eight people died at the scene.

Hafiz Abdul Rashid, an official of the Khushab branch of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), said rescue teams reached the site immediately after receiving an emergency call at 11:22 p.m. Eight bodies were recovered from the scene, while six others died on the way to the hospital or after being admitted.

Authorities said all the deceased were members of the same family, including women and children. According to injured survivors, the victims were laborers traveling from Bannu to Khushab in search of work.

Among the injured, two were admitted to the Khushab THQ Hospital and seven to the DHQ Hospital. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed deep condolences over the incident. The prime minister directed authorities to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the injured.