At least 18 people were killed and around two dozen others injured when a trailer-truck plowed into a string of vehicles on a highway in Cairo’s province of Giza late Wednesday, Ahram Arabic news website reported.
The accident occurred hours after Egypt’s two-week nighttime curfew came into effect to slow the spread of coronavirus.
The truck, loaded with construction material and traveling at high speed, smashed into a group of 15 vehicles lined up at a checkpoint on a road linking Giza to Ain Sokhna, east of Cairo.
At least 20 people have been wounded. They were sent to El-Saff Central Hospital in Giza for treatment.
The truck driver has been arrested and is currently being investigated by prosecutors.
Deadly road accidents take place near daily in Egypt due to poor road safety, badly maintained infrastructure, and loosely enforced traffic regulations.
Over 3,000 people were killed in traffic accidents in Egypt in 2018, according to the country’s official statistics agency CAPMAS.
Short link:
