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Packed bus crashes into Nile; at least 39 dead
January 14, 1997
Web posted at: 10:10 a.m. EST (1510 GMT)CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- A crowded public transportation bus plunged off a bridge into the river Nile River Tuesday, killing at least 39 people and injuring 24, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said. (915K/16 sec. Egypt bus crash QuickTime movie)
Other reports indicated more than 30 were injured in the crash. Some passengers walked away from the crash unharmed.
The bus was traveling a route between Giza and Ain Shams in north Cairo. Witnesses said the driver was speeding at the time of the accident and veered across the road divider into oncoming traffic. The bus then crashed through a fence and landed upside in a shallow part of the river near the shore.
The crash occurred just after 11 a.m.
"It felt like the bus went through a big bump and then it landed on its back in the mud," said Hafsa el-Sayed Abdel-Wahab, a 20-year-old student who survived the crash.
Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzoury said from the scene that while the exact cause of the crash was unknown, "there is definitely negligence involved" on the part of the driver. The driver's body was identified as one of the dead.
Rescue workers used a crane to lift the mud-filled bus from the river. Many of the victims were believed to have died from suffocation.
El-Ganzoury praised the rescue efforts, saying the quick response prevented more deaths.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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