Five people are feared dead after a breach in the Rakh Branch Canal, inundated the site of the Abdullahpur underpass project late Friday night.
According to a spokesman for City District Government, an underpass was under construction at Abdullahpur Chowk where Rakh Branch canal burst its banks.
The canal water inundated the project site. Workers at the site immediately made announcements in nearby mosques to warn people living in adjacent areas to avoid the site but a number of people reached the site and gathered on the sides of the dug underpass.
Five people were buried alive when an earth heap collapsed into the accumulated water.
DCO Muhammad Ameen Chaudhry said Muhammad Usman and Tahir Mehmood had been rescued and the operation was continuing to save others.
The DCO said a three-member committee had been formed to probe the incident which will submit a report in three days.
According to reports, the deceased included Akhtar Majeed, 30, Muhammad Atif, 22, Muhammad Qadeer, 18, Mehmood Ahmad, 30, and Muhammad Junaid, all of whom were residents of Tariqabad.
On information, C&W Punjab Secretary Major (r) Azam Suleman Khan, Divisional Commissioner Faisalabad Syed Tahir Husian, DCO Muhammad Ameen Chaudhary, MNA Abid Sher Ali, MPA Khawaja Muhammad Islam, CPO Bilal Siddique Kamyana, SSP Operations Sadiq Ali Dogar, Faisalabad Development Authority (FDA) Director General (DG) Waheed
Akhtar and other officers rushed to the spot and started a rescue operation.
The DCO said two rescue teams, 12 divers, two cranes and 35 dumpers were being used in the rescue operation whereas officials of Rescue 1122 and Civil Defence were also present on site.
