CAIRO, Nov 3 (Aswat Masriya) – Sohag's prosecution ordered on Monday the detention of the truck driver who caused a deadly accident on the road to a new campus for the University of Sohag, killing at least 12 female students.

A microbus carrying university students crashed into a truck on Sunday. The accident also left the microbus driver killed and 7 students injured.

The university announced on Sunday it will halt classes until next Saturday to mourn the killed students. 

Hundreds of university students protested on Monday the conditions of the road where the crash happened. They called for the resignation of the university chairman and the governor of Sohag.

A decision was issued in 2000 ordering the construction of the new university campus at a mountainous area. The existing road to the campus is "unpaved", the students say.

A new road is currently under construction and due to be inaugurated next Saturday, the university chairman said in a statement.

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.