Buses collide in Luxor killing at least 19 people

(26 Aug 2014) Nineteen people were killed when two microbuses collided and plunged into a canal in the ancient city of Luxor in Egypt, according to the country's state news agency. The victims were travelling to a wedding party when the accident happened late on Monday night, according to MENA (The Middle East News Agency). The report said the two microbuses were speeding and racing one another, which caused the collision. The vehicles plunged into a canal but darkness hampered rescue efforts. Abu al-Naga al-Haggagi, the chief of the local emergency services, was quoted as saying that six people were still missing after the crash and that rescuers were trying to find them. The body of a five-year-old child was found five kilometres (3 miles) away from the crash scene, said local politician Shabaan Haridi who was on site. The governor of Luxor Tarek Saad Eddin visited survivors at a hospital on Tuesday. Traffic accidents are common in this Mideast country due to badly maintained roads and disregard of traffic laws. Road accidents killed about 13,000 people in Egypt last year. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...