Cairo, Aug 26 (IANS): At least 19 people were killed and 12 injured Tuesday when two minibuses collided and fell into an irrigation canal in Egypt.
The accident occurred when the driver of one bus carrying people from a wedding lost control and collided with the other speeding bus coming from the opposite direction near Dhabiya village in Luxor's West Bank, Xinhua reported.
According to rescue officials, most of the victims were women and children.
Ten ambulances rushed to the scene, the officials said.
Traffic accidents are common in Egypt due to poorly maintained roads and a common disregard for traffic laws.
A 2012 World Health Organisation (WHO) report showed that at least 12,000 people die in such accidents every year in the country.
Last Friday, 33 people were killed as two passenger buses collided on a highway some 50 km away from the Red Sea resort city Sharm El-Sheikh.