Children among 21 dead as bus tragically plunges into canal in Egypt

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At least 19 people died and six were injured on Saturday when a minibus tragically overturned in Egypt.

The bus was carrying about 35 people when it tumbled off a highway and fell into Mansoura canal in Aga, in the northern region of Daqahlia, the health ministry said.

Dr Sherif Makeen, a health ministry official, said three children were among the dead but the nationalities are unknown.

Egyptian media outlets reported the accident was caused by the malfunctioning of the steering wheel but did not elaborate further.

According to Sky News Arabia, emergency teams are still looking for people in the water as the rescue is underway.

It is believed the bus was on its way to the city of Mansoura.

Images show a red and white bus almost vertically in the canal with dozens of people lining the road next to the incident as rescue efforts continued.

Other photos from the scene, later on, show some of those who escaped the vehicle standing on top of the bus, which is completely underwater.

In 2021, around 7,000 people were killed on Egyptian roads where accidents are common because of poorly maintained roads and flouted driving rules.

At the end of October, at least 11 people were killed and nine others wounded in a road accident that occurred in Dakahlia province, north of the Egyptian capital Cairo.

“A minibus carrying 14 people, including the driver heading to a highway bridge was hit by a lorry coming very fast from the opposite road under the bridge,” a statement posted on Dakahlia province’s Facebook said.

Sadly all deaths were from a single family, including six children.

In July, 25 people died and 35 were injured in central Egypt when a bus crashed into a truck parked on the side of the road.