Twenty-one Central Security Forces officers died and 24 were injured after their van overturned in central Sinai earlier Monday.
Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sent three helicopters to the scene to transfer the dead and injured, and ordered the wounded to be treated at military hospitals.
Previous reports had said 17 officers had died, but an Interior Ministry statement put the number at 21.
An official Interior Ministry source had earlier said the driver had lost control of the steering wheel due to the steepness of the route, which caused the vehicle to turn over.
The source added that police and ambulances went immediately to the accident scene.
Presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali said President Mohamed Morsy had directed the Armed Forces and the Interior Ministry to hasten with evacuating the officers killed and injured in the accident.
Edited translation from MENA
