Dozens of residents from a village in Mallawi, Minya attacked a pavilion hosting a group marriage ceremony to protest the death of a girl who fell into a drain that was not covered properly.
The group ceremony was held for 110 couples and attended by Minya Governor Ahmed Diaa Eddin. Five people were injured in the assault, most of whom were security men.
Waleed Sobhi Mohamed, uncle of eight-year-old Hasnaa Taha, who fell into a drain near the pavilion while walking alongside her brother, had hurried to ask the governor for help.
The governor replied that he would call the river rescue authorities to come to her aid. However, Hasnaa drowned soon after and residents returned to the pavilion and began hurling stones at the crowd.
Central security forces helped the governor make a safe exit. Minya's security head and Atef al-Qolaie, head of the criminal investigations department, rushed to the site.
The victims were taken to the hospital for the treatment. The girl's body was removed from the drain and transported to the Mallawi General Hospital morgue.
Diaa Eddin referred three local village officials for investigations on suspicion of negligence and ordered the payment of LE10,000 in compensation to the victim's family. Taher Abu Zeid, head of the Public Prosecution in Mallawi, ordered that a burial permit be issued once the cause of death is determined.
Abu Zeid also instructed the criminal investigations department to arrest those who carried out the attack and to investigate the death of Taha.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
