CAIRO: A bus collided with a van on one of Egypt's southern highways on Saturday, killing at least 16 people, officials said. The crash has left Egyptians and residents worried that the continued lack of attention given to road conditions and high driving speeds on the country's roadways will lead to more and more deaths if action is not taken. “The government must take action before it is too late,” said Amr Hakim, a taxi driver in the central Egyptian city of Minya. He argued that police do little to help the situation, “often taking bribes from people when they are driving too fast or when there are accidents. Something needs to be done to save this country.” A security official in Minya province reported that the speeding vehicles hit head-on early on Friday on a one-lane section of the desert highway leading from Cairo to southern Egypt. A rescue worker said all but one of the passengers in the van was killed in the crash. The sole survivor is listed in a serious condition. Four passengers from the bus were also injured, the Associated Press reported. Road accidents are not uncommon in Egypt as a result of bad roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws. Some 6000 people die annually in Egypt in such accidents. Most observers point to high driving speeds and the failure to wear seatbelts as the number one cause of so many traffic related deaths. BM
