Seven dead, more feared drowned as bus falls into Pakistan canal

Seven dead, more feared drowned as bus falls into Pakistan canalIslamabad  - Seven people were killed and a score more were feared drowned Friday when a bus fell into a canal in eastern Pakistan, police said.

The driver lost control while overtaking another vehicle on a sharp bend next to the Abbasia canal near the town of Rahimyar Khan in Punjab province.

"Rescuers have found seven bodies while four people - two women and two children - have been pulled out of the water alive," police officer Sheikh Abid Akhtar said.

Abid feared that the death toll might be much higher as the bus was believed to be carrying around 35 passengers.

"The final count would be known only when the bus is retrieved from the canal," Akhtar said. "There are almost no chances of survival for people trapped inside the submerged vehicle."

Unsafe driving practices and poor road infrastructure often cause fatal accidents in Pakistan, which has a high rate of deaths occurring on roads.(dpa)