At Least 10 Female Farm Workers Perish in Egypt as Minibus Falls into Nile

A tragic accident in Egypt’s Nile Delta region has claimed the lives of at least 10 female farm workers, VOA reported yesterday.

On Tuesday, a minibus transporting the women plunged off a river ferry and into the Nile northwest of the capital Cairo, the news agency noted.

According to the health ministry, the accident’s death toll could rise as nine more passengers were hospitalized with injuries. The ministry stated the minibus was carrying “girls working on a farm,” though it remains unclear if they were minors.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, with the public prosecutor ordering a technical inspection of the vehicle to determine the exact cause of the fatal plunge into the Nile.

According to the state’s flagship Al-Ahram newspaper, the driver, who had released the handbrake, was arrested while trying to escape after getting into “a verbal argument” with one of the passengers.

Commuter accidents are regrettably common in Egypt’s agricultural regions along the country’s waterways.