The death toll from a multi-vehicle crash and the ensuing explosion in central Cairo rose to 19 and at least 32 were wounded, Egypt’s Health Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
“A speeding car moving in the opposition direction outside the National Cancer Institute collided with up to three other vehicles, causing the explosion,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
The reasons behind the explosion were not announced yet. But explosive experts told state-run media that the blast was caused by an electrical fault which spread a fire to the car’s fuel tank.
The Health Ministry ordered evacuation of 54 patients in the cancer hospital because the blast has caused a fire in the building.
The prosecutor general has ordered investigation in the deadly accident.
Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that the fire was high and fragments of the destroyed cars were scattered across the roads.
TV footage showed the windows of nearby buildings were smashed.
The ministry said that the injured were taken to three different hospitals, where they were being treated for wounds and burns.
A picture taken early morning on August 5, 2019 shows people surrounding a burned car after an accident that caused an explosion in downtown Cairo. [Photo: AFP via VCG/Aly Fahim]
Road accidents are common in Egypt due to high speed and poor road maintenance. Last year, there were 8,000 car crashes in Egypt, leaving more than 3,000 people dead and 12,000 injured, the country’s official statistics agency said.
