At Least 20 Killed after Bus Crashes, Catches Fire While Overtaking Truck in Egypt’s Assiut

By Staff, Agencies

At least 20 people have been killed after a bus overturned in Egypt while trying to pass a truck.

The bus was travelling from Cairo when the accident happened in the province of Assiut, 320km south of the capital, said Assiut governor Essam Saad.

Both vehicles caught fire and photos showed rescuers searching the burned-out bus for survivors.

Three others were injured and taken to hospital and 25 ambulances were sent to the scene on the Red Sea road, said a statement on the Assiut governorate Facebook page.

Thousands lose their lives on the roads each year in Egypt, which has a poor transportation safety record. Speeding, bad roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws cause most of the fatalities.

In 2019, more than 3,400 people died in around 10,000 accidents, according to the country's statistics agency.

The year before, there were over 3,080 deaths and 8,480 car accidents.