Bus, truck drivers handed heavy prison sentences over death of 23 in Egypt’s Minya crash

CAIRO – 30 November 2022: A bus and truck drivers who caused a deadly crash in Upper Egypt’s Minya last July, killing 23 people, were sentenced to 15 years and 10 years respectively.

The ruling is appealable and is not final

The bus driver was handed a heavy prison sentence for abusing drugs while driving and causing 23 to die and injuring 28 others, while the truck driver was convicted of abusing drugs.

The accident took place on 19 July when 23 people were killed and 30 others were injured as a bus with a truck on Cairo-Assiut Road in Minya governorate.

The prosecution earlier accused the bus driver of driving under the influence and exceeding the maximum speed allowed on the road.

Ambulances moved to the scene and the deaths and injured people were transferred to Mallawi Specialized Hospital in Upper Egypt’s Minya governorate.

This comes while Egypt has seen a decline in the number of road accidents over the recent years in light of the national efforts to develop the country’s road network.

According to the statistical agency (CAPMAS), Egypt saw a decline in injuries and deaths due to road accidents by almost 29 percent and 9 percent respectively in 2020 compared to 2019.