At least 12 people were killed and 22 injured after two cars crashed early Thursday morning on a highway in North Sinai, northeast of Cairo.
Security sources said that investigations revealed that the collision occurred between a tourist bus coming from Nuweiba carrying a number of pilgrims on their way back from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah and a microbus carrying a number of employees working in tourism.
A security official said the microbus collided with a camel crossing the road, which caused it to overturn and hit the bus. The bus, which also overturned, was completely wrecked.
The official noted that all those killed in the accident were passengers on the microbus, whereas all those injured were passengers on the tourist bus, two of whom are in critical condition.
He added that the bodies and injured people were taken to Arish and Nakhl general hospitals and authorities were investigating the incident.
Road accidents are the second most common cause of death in Egypt on an annual basis. A government report on Wednesday announced that 18 Egyptians were killed daily in road accidents in 2009 alone.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
