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Crash kills 18 Egyptian students

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CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- A head-on collision between a school bus and a truck killed 18 students and injured eight others on a road south of Cairo Wednesday morning, according to Egypt's interior ministry and the Middle East News Agency.

The wreck happened on the highway connecting Cairo with the city of Assuit, the news agency said.

The injured were taken to Atfeeh Hospital in southern Giza, a ministry official said.

Reuters news agency quoted unnamed sources saying the collision happened when a large truck tried to overtake another vehicle, colliding head-on with the vehicle transporting the students to school. The dead students were between 15 and 16 years old, Reuters said.

Reckless driving and poor road conditions are responsible for many road crashes in Egypt, and a recent spate of rail and road accidents has sparked public anger at what critics call the government's failure to enforce safety standards.

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