A truck-trailer collided with a microbus carrying 18 young women on their way to work at seven am, at the Menoufia Governorate on Friday.
They were all killed alongside the microbus driver.
Police and traffic forces responded to the scene of the accident on the Regional Road immediately.
Ten ambulances transported the bodies and injured to four hospitals in Menoufia Governorate: Ashmoun, Quesna, al-Bagour, and Sirs al-Layyan. Traffic was redirected, the trailer was impounded, and the necessary legal measures were taken.
The Public Prosecution Office was notified for investigations.
All victims were from the village of Kafr al-Sanabseh, affiliated with the Menouf City of Menoufia Governorate, while only the driver was from the village of Tamlay.
Families flocked to the four hospitals to identify their loved ones. More than one death occurred in a single family.
Ambulances began transporting the deceased to the village of Kafr al-Sanabseh after burial permits were issued.
The victims ranged in age from 14-22, and most were working in factories in Sadat Industrial Zone. Some were the sole breadwinners for their families, while others had dropped out of school to support their families.
To ease the tragedy for the families and facilitate the identification of the bodies, the Menoufia Ambulance Authority decided to write the name of each victim on the ambulance carrying her body.
This decision reflected the magnitude of the tragedy, and the state of confusion that gripped the hospitals receiving the victims.
In addition to arresting the driver, authorities launched a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the accident, including a review of the accident log on the Regional Road, an engineering inspection of the truck, and verification of its technical condition.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
