Fog Blinds Cairo Highway: Multi-Vehicle Pileup Claims 5 Lives, Injures 18, Emergency Teams Overwhelmed

Cairo, Egypt— A multi-vehicle pileup in heavy fog outside Cairo killed five people and injured 18 others on October 20, after dozens of vehicles collided on a desert highway with almost zero visibility.

The crash happened at around 7 a.m. on the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, near Wadi El Natrun. Fog had settled overnight, thick and low. Drivers said they could not see more than 10 meters. A truck braked. A bus behind it could not stop. Then cars piled in. One after another. Metal slammed into metal.

Police said at least 25 vehicles were involved, including buses, trucks, and private cars. Five bodies were pulled from crushed cabins. Eighteen injured were taken to hospitals in Cairo and Beheira. Four are in critical condition with head trauma. Doctors said the death toll could rise. Wreckage was spread over 400 meters of highway.

"We were driving blind," said a survivor who was in a minibus. "The fog was white, dense. Suddenly there were brake lights everywhere. Then impact. People were screaming." Another driver said there were no warning signs or patrols to slow traffic despite forecasts of dense fog.

Egypt's desert highways are notorious for fog-related pileups. The Cairo-Alexandria and Cairo-Suez roads see multiple mass crashes each winter. Speeding is common. Trucks often drive without rear lights. The Meteorological Authority had issued a fog warning the night before, advising drivers to delay travel. Few did.

Emergency response was slowed by the same fog. Ambulances struggled to reach the site. Traffic backed up for more than 10 kilometers. Police closed the highway for four hours while cranes removed mangled vehicles. Oil and fuel spilled across the asphalt. Firefighters hosed down the road to prevent fire.

The Ministry of Interior said a committee will examine whether the road should have been closed earlier. A senior traffic officer said fog sensors are installed on parts of the highway but were not functioning in this sector. "We need automated closures," he said. "Human judgment is too slow."

Families of the victims gathered at the morgue in Wadi El Natrun. Some had been traveling to Alexandria for work. Others were returning to Cairo. The names of the dead have not been officially released. The public prosecutor has ordered an investigation into possible negligence.

By noon, the fog had lifted. The highway reopened. Skid marks and shattered glass remained on the shoulder. Police said traffic is now moving but slow.