At least 18 people, including a large number of children, died and around 30 others were injured on Tuesday when a pick-up truck transporting agricultural labourers crashed on a link road in the Al-Dawawis area of Ismailia governorate, Egypt, according to Al-Ahram news and Egypt's Ministry of Health.
At Least 18 Killed After Pick-Up Truck Carrying Farm Workers Crashes in Egypt
At least 18 people, including a large number of children, died and around 30 others were injured on Tuesday when a pick-up truck transporting agricultural labourers crashed on a link road in the Al-Dawawis area of Ismailia governorate, Egypt, according to Al-Ahram news and Egypt's Ministry of Health.
Egypt's Ministry of Health recorded 47 casualties in total, encompassing the dead and approximately 30 injured. Those hurt in the crash were transported to hospital in the nearby town of El-Kassasin.
A medical source at the hospital told AFP that most of the dead were children aged 13 and 14, with the youngest victim reported to be 10 years old.
According to a local security source, the workers came primarily from two villages in Sharqiya governorate and had been employed on a farm in Ismailia governorate.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered an investigation into the accident. Egypt's Ministry of Social Solidarity and Ministry of Labour stated they would provide financial assistance to the families of those killed and to injured workers.
Pick-up trucks are described as a common mode of transport for informal workers in Egypt. Official figures indicate that at least 1.3 million minors are engaged in child labour in the country.
Egypt's state statistics agency has reported that road fatalities and injuries in the country rose by more than 10 percent, with children under 15 recording the highest toll from such incidents.
- The source does not establish the cause of the crash
- The source does not confirm the total number of occupants in the vehicle at the time of the crash
- The source does not specify the timeframe for the reported rise in road fatalities
- The source does not detail the nature or timeline of the ordered investigation
- The source does not specify the amounts of financial assistance to be provided to affected families
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