29 March 2008

Egypt's roads are among the world's most dangerous

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CAIRO (AFP) — Eleven members of a single family were killed and another 16 seriously injured on Saturday in a road accident in Egypt, the official MENA news agency reported.

It said the vehicle carrying the victims was driving at "a crazy speed" on the highway linking Cairo and the northern port city of Alexandria when it collided with two oncoming trucks.

The injured, all of whom where gravely hurt, were taken to hospital, MENA added.

On March 16, 23 people -- among them 21 police officers -- died in a head-on collision between a police truck and another lorry on the same highway.

In February, 29 people were killed in a pile-up on a road south of Cairo that was blamed on fog.

Egypt's roads are among the world's most dangerous. Each year about 6,000 people die and 30,000 are injured in road accidents.

Traffic regulations are often badly enforced and vehicles poorly maintained. Many roads allow for high speeds, and accidents caused by reckless overtaking are common.

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