At least 18 people were killed and three others injured on Thursday afternoon following a collision between a heavy truck and a passenger pickup truck on a major highway in northeastern Egypt, officials said.
The crash occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time on the 30 June Axis highway south of Port Said province. The pickup truck was reportedly carrying workers and fishermen travelling to fish farms in the coastal area when it was struck by the larger vehicle, according to official and eyewitness accounts.
Emergency services rushed ambulances to the scene. The bodies of the deceased were taken to several local hospitals for identification. The injured were transported to medical facilities in Port Said, where they are receiving treatment.
Local authorities said they are still working to confirm the identities and hometowns of the victims, who are believed to include labourers from Dakahlia governorate’s El Matariya area.
Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly expressed condolences to the families of those killed and ordered that financial assistance be provided to the relatives of the deceased and injured. Port Said’s governor visited the accident site and local hospitals to oversee the response.
Images posted on social media by officials showed the pickup truck crushed between larger cargo vehicles, with debris scattered across the highway.
Egypt has one of the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world, and crashes involving heavy vehicles are common. Authorities regularly cite speeding, poor road conditions, and lax enforcement of traffic laws as persistent causes of such accidents.
Prosecutors have launched an official investigation to determine the exact cause of Thursday’s collision.