At least ten people have lost their lives and another 24 have been injured this Saturday in a serious traffic accident recorded in the vicinity of the city of 6th of October, near the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The accident occurred after a minibus collided with a heavy transport vehicle that was stationary on the side of the road.
According to the Egyptian newspaper "Al Masry Al Youm", Security sources have established a broad police cordon around the scene of the incident. The minibus driver, identified as responsible for the accident, has been arrested for attempting to evade the toll payment and is being held in police custody at the hospital while receiving medical attention.
Security forces have blocked access by onlookers and vehicles to the area of the accident to facilitate the work of ambulances and heavy rescue teams. The remains of the vehicles involved have already been removed from the roadway and traffic has been restored in order to avoid new traffic jams on the road.
The authorities have launched an investigation to clarify in detail the causes of the accident and complete the pertinent legal procedures, a task that has been taken over by the Public Prosecutor's Office. The first investigations point to the truck being stopped on the shoulder, while the minibus was traveling at high speed, a circumstance that would have caused the driver to lose control and impact from the rear against the heavy vehicle.
This accident adds to a series of fatal accidents recorded on Egyptian roads, where traffic accidents continue to represent a serious public safety problem.