CAIRO: Twenty-three people, mostly policemen, were killed Sunday when their vehicle smashed into a truck on the highway between Cairo and Alexandria, police said.
Fifteen people were declared dead at the scene of the crash, while eight others died from their injuries after they reached the hospital, said the police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
At least 12 others also received medical treatment for their injuries after the crash, which occurred shortly after nightfall on the main highway linking the Egyptian capital with the northern city on the Mediterranean coast, the official added.
The policemen were on their way back from a camp near Cairo when their vehicle ran into a truck, the official added. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.
Each year about 6,000 people die and 30,000 are injured in road accidents in Egypt.
In February, 29 people were killed in a pile-up on a road south of Cairo that was blamed on fog.
Road accidents are very common in Egypt due to bad roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws.
Traffic regulations are often badly enforced and vehicles are poorly maintained. Many coastal and desert roads allow for high speeds, and accidents caused by reckless overtaking are frequent.
