At least 12 killed in Egypt bus accident

At least 12 workers were killed when their bus plunged into a canal west of Cairo on Saturday morning, according to a health official.

Ambulance Authority Chairman Ahmed al-Ansari added that 15 injured workers were rescued from the waters of the Marioutiya canal.

A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the bus fell off a bridge into the canal and that the cause of the accident was still unclear.

Images broadcast on private television channels showed rescue workers pulling a lifeless body and the mangled yellow bus out of the murky canal as crowds of bystanders gathered at the water’s edge.

Deadly road accidents claim thousands of lives in Egypt every year. They are mostly caused by speeding, bad roads or lack of regular vehicle maintenance. Road accidents killed about 13,000 people in Egypt in 2013.