At least 18 people, mostly children, were killed in a traffic accident in Egypt's Ismailia province. According to Al-Ahram newspaper, the incident occurred on Tuesday on a branch road in the Al-Dawawis area.
Egypt's Health Ministry said 47 people were involved in the accident, with about 30 injured. The victims were quickly transferred to a hospital in the nearby town of El-Kassasin.
A medical source at the hospital said most of the dead were children aged 13 and 14, with the youngest victim only 10 years old. The workers mostly came from two villages in Sharqiya province and were employed at a farm in Ismailia, according to a local security source.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has ordered an investigation into the accident. The Ministry of Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Labor said they would provide financial support to the families of the victims and the injured.
Pickup trucks are a common means of transporting casual laborers in Egypt. According to official figures, at least 1.3 million children are engaged in labor in the country.
The number of deaths and injuries from traffic accidents in Egypt has risen by more than 10%, according to the state statistics agency. Children under 15 have the highest death rate in such incidents.
