CAIRO, Nov 5 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's cabinet issued on Wednesday evening a new legislation restricting trucks' traffic hours within cities to nighttime after a school bus crash on an agricultural road in Beheira left 18 killed.

The new decision, which will be enacted starting November 15, only allows trucks to drive through cities from 11 pm to 6 am. 

A preliminary technical report issued on the school bus crash owed the accident to the "carelessness" of a speeding truck driver. The crash left 17 others injured.

A health ministry source told Aswat Masriya that the bodies of most victims were completely charred, making it difficult to identify them.

Prime Minister Ibrahim vowed that there will be a "firm stand" with "undisciplined" truck drivers. He mandated the cabinet's legal advisers committee to draft "deterrent" legislation that would limit road accidents earlier on Wednesday.

The cabinet also approved a draft law submitted by the presidency amending the traffic law in a manner which stipulates harsher penalties for wrong-way driving, driving under influence or exceeding the speed limit.

The draft law will be referred to the State Council for revision before being issued by the president.

Road accidents are a common occurrence in Egypt, being among the prime causes of death in the Arab world's most populous country.

According to a report released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) in June, the number of car accidents occurring in Egypt in 2013 rose by 0.4 percent when compared to the 2012 figure.

This is the second deadly road accident to take place in Egypt this week.
A microbus carrying university students crashed into a truck in Sohag on Sunday, leaving at least 10 female students killed.