On Saturday, at least 21 people were killed after a bus plunged into a canal in the Nile River Delta region of Egypt, according to the country’s Health Ministry.
Dr. Sherif Makeen, an official from the health ministry, stated that three children were among the deceased.
The ministry stated in a statement that the accident occurred in Dakahlia province, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of Cairo. Additional injured passengers were taken to a local hospital.
The provincial chief of police investigations, Brig. Mohamed Abdel Hadi, stated that the driver may have lost control of the steering wheel.
In Egypt, which has a dismal transportation safety record, thousands of people are killed annually in traffic accidents. Most crashes and incidents are caused by excessive speed, poor road conditions, or lax enforcement of traffic laws.
In July, a passenger bus collided with a parked tractor trailer on a highway in the southern province of Minya, resulting in 23 fatalities and 30 injuries. At least ten people were killed when a truck collided with a minibus in Dakahlia in October, according to authorities.