Truck crash in Egypt kills 18, many of them child labourers

What the report says

At least 18 people were killed and dozens more injured in a road crash in Egypt’s Ismailia governorate, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing local and official sources. The collision happened on Tuesday on a link road in the Al-Dawawis area, where a pick-up truck carrying agricultural labourers crashed, with many of those killed described as children.

Hospital and security sources said most of the dead were boys aged 13 and 14, and the youngest victim was 10. The Ministry of Health said there were 47 casualties in total, including about 30 injured, and survivors were taken to hospital in nearby El-Kassasin. A local security source said the workers came mainly from two villages in Sharqiya governorate and were employed on a farm in Ismailia.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered an investigation into the accident, while the ministries of Social Solidarity and Labour said they would provide financial support to the families of those killed and to injured workers. The report also noted that pick-up trucks are widely used to move informal workers in Egypt.

The incident highlights broader concerns about child labour and road safety in Egypt. Al Jazeera, citing official figures, said 1.3 million minors are engaged in child labour, and the state statistics agency has reported that road fatalities and injuries have risen by more than 10 percent.