CAIRO: Egyptian prosecutors on Tuesday referred a driver to trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter after he crashed his truck into a minivan last week, killing 18 girls and their driver.
Friday’s crash on a newly constructed highway stirred up public outrage over the poor transportation safety record in the world’s most populous Arab country. Many, including pro-government commentators and lawmakers, lashed out at the government and called for accountability. Most criticism was directed at Transportation Minister Kamel Al-Wazir, with some calling for his resignation.
A statement from the office of chief prosecutor said the truck driver was accused of abusing drugs and driving the truck without a relevant license.
Prosecutors also requested the court to initiate a misdemeanor procedure against the truck’s owner for allowing the man to drive the vehicle while knowing that he didn’t have the required license.
The trial is scheduled to start on July 8, the statement said.
The truck collided with a microbus — a mass transit minivan — on a highway in the Nile Delta city of Ashmoun. The microbus was carrying girls to a vineyard where they worked as informal laborers.
Three other girls were injured in the crash, according to the Labor Ministry. The crash happened on part of the highway that was under maintenance.
Deadly traffic accidents claim thousands of lives every year in Egypt, with many caused by speeding, bad roads or poor enforcement of traffic laws.
Egypt’s official statistics agency says 5,260 people died in road accidents last year, compared to 5,861 in 2023 — a 10.3 percent decrease. But 76,362 were injured in 2024, up from 71,016 the previous year — an increase of 7.5 percent.