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CAIRO, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- A major traffic accident killed 19 people and injured dozens of others in Egypt's El-Wadi El-Gedid governate, about 230 km southwest of Cairo, the official news agency MENA reported Wednesday.
The accident occurred when a microbus crashed into a truck late Tuesday night on the El Wahat El Bahriya-El Farafra road, said MENA.
Security forces and a large number of ambulances were dispatched to the scene to transport the dead and injured people, MENA reported.
Traffic accidents are common in Egypt due to a lack in highway monitoring systems, poor road maintenance and negligence of traffic rules.
On Aug. 15, at least 21 people were killed in a collision with three vehicles due to a tire explosion on the road to the province of Daqahliya, north of the capital Cairo.
Furthermore, on Aug. 28, at least 12 people were killed in another major traffic accident due to speeding on the desert highway in Upper Egypt.
"Egypt loses about 12,000 lives due to road traffic crashes every year. It has a road traffic fatality rate of 42 deaths per 100,000 population," according to the World Health Organization.
