A bus and multiple cars were involved in a “horrific collision” on an Egyptian highway on Saturday that resulted in at least 35 fatalities and over 50 injuries, according to official media.
In Egypt, where the highway law is routinely broken and roads are generally in poor condition, traffic accidents are commonplace.
“A horrific collision on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road near Wadi al-Natrun led to the death of 35 people, at least 18 of whom burnt to death,” said the Al-Ahram news website, indicating “at least 53 were injured”.
Images posted on social media showed an overturned lorry lying across the fast lane on a charred tarmac.
Further on is at least one bus and a minibus, both largely gutted by fire, as well as many cars, some still in flames.
Crowds of people can be seen standing by the road, gazing at the crash site alongside queues of cars as thick black smoke spirals into the air.
Official figures say 7,000 people were killed in road accidents in 2021 in the Arab world’s most populous country.
AFP