At least six women dead in Egypt after bus falls off Nile River ferry

About two dozen passengers, mostly women, were in the vehicle heading to work when the accident occurred

The Pyramid of Khufu, the largest of the Giza pyramids, seen behind a canal which flows into the River Nile on the outskirts of Cairo (REUTERS)

At least six Egyptian women have died after a vehicle carrying about two dozen people slid off a ferry and plunged into the Nile River.

The accident, which happened in Monshat el-Kanater town in Giza province just outside Cairo, also injured nine other passengers, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Giza is one of three provinces forming Greater Cairo.

The ministry said six of the injured were treated at the site while three others were transferred to hospitals. It didn’t elaborate on their injuries at this point.

Giza provincial Gov. Ahmed Rashed said the microbus was retrieved from the Nile, and rescue efforts were still underway as of midday Tuesday.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.

According to the state-owned Akhbar daily, about two dozen passengers, mostly women, were in the vehicle heading to work when the accident occurred.

Many Egyptians make their way using boats on a daily basis, especially in Upper Egypt and the Nile Delta. Sailing along the Nile is also a favorite pastime during holidays in the Arab world’s most populous country.

Ferry, railway and road accidents are common in Egypt mainly because of poor maintenance and lack of regulations. In February, a ferry carrying day laborers sank in the Nile in Giza, killing at least 10 of the 15 people on board.

The five who survived were transported to a hospital and later discharged. The cause of the sinking was not made immediately clear.

The ministry allocated compensation of 200,000 Egyptian pounds (around $6,466) to each family of the deceased and 20,000 ($646) to each of the five injured.

The laborers were on their way to work at a local construction firm. It took rescue teams hours to recover the bodies, according to local media which aired live-stream videos on social media platforms showing divers searching for the dead as villagers waited on the Nile banks.

The incident took place in the town of Monshat el-Kanater in Giza.