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At least eight children died on Saturday when a passenger tricycle overturned and sank in an irrigation channel in , authorities said.

The accident took place in the city of Itay El-Baroud in the Mediterranean province of Beheira. The children were workers at a factory in the city, around 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of the capital of , a police statement said.

The three-wheeled vehicle was carrying at least 13 people when it overturned and sank in the channel early Saturday.

Rescuers retrieved the bodies of eight children between 12-15 years old, health authorities said. At least four others survived and rescue workers were searching for at least one other.

Prosecutors opened an investigation into the cause of the .

are common in Egypt where roads are often poorly maintained and regulations are lacking.