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19 Egyptians die as bus plunges into river
Eighteen people -17 passengers and a bus driver - died when their coach plunged into a dugout branch of the Nile River in southern Egypt, the state MENA news agency reported.
Eighteen people -17 passengers and a bus driver - died when their coach plunged into a dugout branch of the Nile River in southern Egypt, the state MENA news agency reported.
A pickup driver who had apparently caused the accident near the village of Beni Mzar in Minya province, also died yesterday.
The accident occurred as the bus driver scrambled to avoid a collision with the speeding pickup trying to overtake him, police chief Mahmoud Noureddin in Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, was quoted as saying.
As the bus swerved, the truck driver also lost control and overturned his vehicle.
Rescue workers managed to retrieve 18 bodies, including that of the bus driver, after the bus sank in the Ibrahimya branch of the Nile. Some 40 surviving passengers were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, MENA said.
Road accidents are common in Egypt mainly because of poor maintenance and the lack of traffic regulations.
