At least 32 people were killed in a traffic accident in Egypt an 63 others were injured. According to the Egyptian Minister of Health, the accident took place this Saturday morning in the province of Al Behera, in the Nile Delta. A total of 20 ambulances were sent to the scene to transport the injured to nearby hospitals, the Ministry of Health reported on its X account (formerly Twitter):
The Ministry of Health and Population announced the dispatch of 20 ambulances to help those injured in the traffic accident that occurred this Saturday morning, between a bus carrying passengers and several passenger cars, near the Cairo-Alexandria desert highway. in the Wadi El-Natroun area, before the international highway, towards Cairo.
أعلنت وزارة الصحة والسكان، الدفع ب 20 سيارة إسعاف، لنجدة المصابين في الحادث المروري الذي وقع صباح اليوم السبت، بين أتوبيس لنقل الركاب، وعدد من السيارات، على طريق «القاهرة - الإسكندرية» الصحراوي، في محيط منطقة وادي النطرون، قبل الطريق الدولي، اتجاه القاهرة. pic.twitter.com/YCOk5xgX9t
— وزارة الصحة والسكان المصرية (@mohpegypt) October 28, 2023
The accident took place on a road linking Cairo with Alexandria. There, the state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported that a car's fuel leak caused a bus to collide with "a large number" of cars. In addition, some of these vehicles caught on fire due to the impact, causing more fatalities.
Several photos and videos have gone viral on social media. Many burned-out cars can be seen on the shoulder after firefighters managed to put out the flames. Local media outlets reported that up to 29 cars were involved in the crash that took place in the city of Nubariya, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Cairo.
Authorities say the crash may have been due to lack of visibility on the road. AP reported that the Egyptian Meteorological Authority warned a day earlier that there would be dense fog on the roads, which could have caused the traffic accident.
