Safety · Ismailia
Egypt crash kills 18, mostly child labourers, in Ismailia governorate
At least 18 people, most of them teenagers aged 13 and 14, died when two pick-up trucks carrying agricultural workers collided in Ismailia governorate on 11 August 2026.
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In brief
Two pick-up trucks collided in Al-Dawawis, Ismailia governorate, on 11 August 2026. The death toll rose from an initial 15 to at least 18, with about 30 injured out of 47 total casualties.
A medical source told AFP most of the dead were teenagers aged 13 or 14. The youngest victim was 10 years old, per Al-Masry Al-Youm.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered an immediate investigation. The Ministries of Social Solidarity and Labour pledged financial assistance to families of the dead and injured workers.
At least 1.3 million minors work in Egypt per official figures. The ILO says the informal economy accounts for 67% of employment, with 8 to 13 million informal workers nationwide.
- CrashTwo pick-up trucks collide in Al-Dawawis area, Ismailia governorate
- First reportMinistry spokesperson reports 15 dead, 32 injured
- Updated tollMedical source reports at least 18 dead, about 30 injured
- Presidential orderPresident al-Sisi orders immediate investigation
The crash
On Tuesday 11 August 2026, two pick-up trucks carrying agricultural labourers collided on a road in the Al-Dawawis area of Ismailia governorate, approximately 125 kilometres northeast of Cairo. The crash occurred near the Al Shabab power plant. The passengers, mostly from two villages in the Nile Delta, were travelling to work at a farm in Ismailia, according to a security source. A separate security source cited by Al Jazeera said the workers were from Sharqiya governorate. Egypt's Ministry of Health initially reported 47 people involved, including about 30 injured. An early toll given by ministry spokesperson Hosam Abdelghafar, reported by El Mundo at 14:55, put the dead at 15 and the injured at 32, and described the victims as construction workers. Later reporting, citing a medical source at the hospital, raised the death toll to at least 18 and identified the workers as agricultural labourers.
Victims and survivors
A medical source at El-Kassasin hospital told AFP that most of the dead were teenagers aged 13 or 14. The youngest victim was 10 years old, according to local media outlet Al-Masry Al-Youm. The injured were rushed to El-Kassasin Hospital Central for treatment. Among the survivors was 16-year-old Jomana Walid, who had been sleeping from exhaustion after waking at 5 a.m. when the vehicle overturned. She recounted to AFP her sister's last words before dying.
“Mama, then she stopped breathing, she was dead.”
Her brother Mohamed was hospitalised, according to their grandmother Nour Ahmed Abdulkader. Families gathered outside the hospital in al-Qasasin throughout the day, hoping for news of their relatives.
Government response
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered authorities to investigate the causes of the accident immediately, according to media reports. The Ministry of Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Labour said they would provide financial assistance to the families of those killed and to injured workers. Ministry spokesperson Hosam Abdelghafar said the "level of preparedness of hospitals" had been raised, as reported by the Egyptian news portal Al-Ahram. The ministry's crisis and emergency operations room was closely monitoring the situation.
Child labour and road safety
Pick-up trucks are a common means of transport for millions of informal workers in Egypt, including minors, and are frequently overloaded. Child labour affects at least 1.3 million minors in the country, according to official figures, and children are regularly among the victims of road accidents. The informal economy accounts for 67% of employment in Egypt and nearly all of the agricultural sector, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). The total number of informal workers is estimated at between 8 and 13 million, mostly in agriculture, construction, and industry. Road fatalities in Egypt rose 10.8% in 2025 compared with the previous year, reaching 5,829 deaths and 84,553 injured, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS). Children under 15 recorded the highest toll from such incidents.
- Deaths
- 5829 people
- Injured
- 84553 people
Data from the article text
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Sources and context
- Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
- President of Egypt who ordered an immediate investigation into the crash
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