Egyptian groom killed in wedding procession

Cairo: A car carrying an Egyptian groom in a wedding procession flipped over in the southern province of Assiut, killing him and his niece, Egyptian media reported on Thursday.

The man, accompanied by his relatives, was heading to pick up his bride and go to their wedding party, when the accident occurred in Assiut, around 380 kilometres south of Cairo, private newspaper Al Watan said.

Six others were injured in the mishap.

The exact cause of the accident is not clear yet, although it is believed to be due to high speed.

The Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha, which ended on Wednesday, is traditionally a season for weddings in Egypt.

Egyptian authorities have recently toughened traffic penalties in an attempt to curb road accidents, which are among the world’s highest. The crashes are often attributed to reckless driving, ill-kept cars and poor routes, according to traffic experts.

Over the past five years, Egypt has built a large network of roads across the country of nearly 100 million people.