Nine children killed as three-wheeled vehicle plunges into canal in southern Egypt
The victims aged between 10 and 17, while search continues for missing driver
Dubai: Nine children drowned and two others injured after a three-wheeled cargo vehicle carrying children and young workers plunged into the Nag Hammadi Canal in Abu Tig district of Egypt's Assiut governorate on Tuesday, authorities said.
Police said they received reports that the vehicle had fallen into the canal, prompting the deployment of police officers, civil defence teams, river rescue units and ambulances to the scene.
Officials said river rescue teams continued searching the canal for the vehicle's driver, a 48-year-old man, who remained missing. The victims, aged between 10 and 17, were reportedly working in agricultural fields at the time of the accident.
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Preliminary investigations indicated that the driver lost control of the three-wheeler, causing it to veer off the road and overturn into the canal. Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident.
River rescue teams continued searching the canal, while emergency services remained on high alert around the scene.
The Public Prosecution has opened an investigation and ordered an inspection of the accident site, while requesting a police report to determine whether negligence or criminal liability played a role in the incident.
Rescue teams recovered the bodies of the victims and pulled the injured from the canal before they were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. The bodies of those killed were transferred to the morgue pending the completion of legal procedures.
