Bus accident in eastern Egypt kills 16 and injures 28

Sixteen people were killed and 28 injured in a bus accident in eastern Egypt on Wednesday, local authorities have said.

Egypt’s health ministry said the incident occurred on the Dahab-Nuweibaa road in South Sinai, on an area along the Red Sea coast that is popular with tourists.

According to the AFP news agency, 20 ambulances rushed to the scene of the accident on the country’s eastern coast.

The nationalities of those who died have not yet been released by the health ministry, which said medical teams are working at “full capacity” and that the situation is being “monitored moment by moment”.

The incident occurred “this morning, Wednesday, on the (Dahab – Nuweiba) road, before the Al-Saada area heading towards the city of Nuweiba in South Sinai Governorate,” the ministry said in a statement.

Last month, 15 people were killed and 32 injured in a road accident in Egypt's Ismailia governorate.

Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, the minister of Health and Population, has directed health authorities to “provide the highest level of medical care to the injured, ensure the provision of all necessary supplies and medications, and maintain ongoing coordination with the relevant authorities in South Sinai Governorate”, a spokesperson confirmed.

“The ministry affirms that all medical teams are operating at full capacity to handle the incident with utmost efficiency and speed, and the situation is being monitored moment by moment,” the statement said.

It added that it “extends its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to all the injured”.