Seven labourers were killed Saturday when a truck carrying them plunged into a canal on a highway connecting the Egyptian capital Cairo with Assiut to the south, state news agency MENA reported.
The truck overturned into El-Ibrahimiya Canal after the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle on the agricultural road near Assiut, 320 kilometres (200 miles) south of Cairo.
Ten others were wounded in the accident and at least one person is still missing.
Assiut Governor Yasser El-Desouky said financial compensation of LE5,000 (approximately $640) will be provided to each of the families of those killed and LE 1,000 (approximately $128) for the injured.
Thousands die and tens of thousands are injured every year in near-daily road crashes in Egypt, which is notorious for its poor road safety record and loosely enforced traffic regulations.
‪In its latest report in April, the country's census authority said that over 14,400 road accidents occurred in Egypt in 2014, killing more than 6,200 people and injuring some over 25,000 others.
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