ASWAN, Egypt, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 persons were killed on Thursday in two lorries crash at the road connecting the provinces of Aswan-Assuit in southern Egypt, Aswan governor Ashraf Saad told Xinhua.
"Two lorries, one from Aswan and the other from Assuit with workers who illegally dig for gold, crashed at the road," Saad said.
The high speed of the drivers and the broken roads that lacked maintenance caused the crash, he added, noting that some gas cylinders that the workers use in cutting and digging for gold have exploded in the crash.
Ten ambulances rushed to the scene and transferred the victims to Awan Public Hospital.
On Sunday, in a different accident at the same road, another 12 persons were killed in a microbus-lorry crash, said Aly kamal, a brother of one of the victims.
The governor of Aswan ordered to fix some light guidance placards and add some speed bumps to prevent the repetition of accidents, while the Ministry of Social Solidarity ordered urgent aid to the families of the victims.
Daily road accidents are common in Egypt because of poorly maintained road infrastructure and loosely applied traffic regulations.
Over the past few years, Egypt has been upgrading its road network, building new roads and bridges, and repairing existing ones in an effort to reduce traffic accidents. Enditem