Ambulance sirens resounded on the Galala – Zaafarana Road, in the Suez governorate following a tragic bus accident that claimed the lives of ten students and injured 40 more.
Those who survived have come forward to share first-hand those moments of horror and tragedy, so that they will not be forgotten.
The survivors speak
Ahmed, a third-year student at the Faculty of Medicine at al-Galala University, said in a weak voice: “We were returning from university after a long day, we were talking and laughing like every day. Suddenly, I felt that the bus leaned to one side, and then I heard a very loud sound, and it was as if we were all thrown into the air.”
He paused for a moment before continuing: “When I woke up, I found my colleagues lying on the ground, some screaming in pain and some not moving at all. All I was thinking about was getting out of here, but when I looked, I saw a lot of people unable to move.”
The accident wasn’t just a bus crash; it was a moment when the sounds of laughter and normal conversation turned into cries for help.
Another survivor, Ali, a second-year student, said: “We suddenly felt the world turn upside down around us. Everything happened so fast. When I woke up, I was under people. I couldn’t move until people started carrying each other. It was a terrifying scene, I will never forget it for the rest of my life.”
A student named Abdel-Rahman wrote on the Galala University Facebook group: “The bus flipped over three times, the glass broke, and students were flying off the bus. Those who survived were seriously injured.”
Solidarity via social media
As news of the accident spread, social media pages were filled with messages of condolences and grief.
Students at Galala University were left in disbelief at what what happened.
They expressed their deep sorrow for their colleagues whose lives were lost instantly, and wrote touching farewell messages.
One student lamented: “How can a road accident take the lives of innocent people?”
The grief was not limited to the students and their friends, as comments and messages on social media were full of solidarity.
People expressed their support for the families of the victims and the injured, and stressed the need to take measures to protect young people and prevent such incidents from happening again.
Meanwhile, teams from the Health Ministry and emergency respondents worked tirelessly to ensure full care for the injured.
Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar declared a state of emergency in hospitals surrounding the accident, and medical teams were dispatched to the scene.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
