Truck Hits Tour Bus on Egypt Desert Highway, Killing at Least 13

At least 13 people were killed and 37 others were injured on Tuesday when a truck collided with a tour bus on the Cairo-Asyut Western Desert Road in Egypt, health officials said.

The road runs south from Cairo toward Asyut. The crash wrecked the front of the bus and left debris across the highway in Giza, where rescue crews worked through the day to reach passengers and clear the road.

Toll rose through the day

Early counts from the scene put the toll at eight dead. The number rose to 13 as rescuers reached the wreckage, and state media later confirmed 13 dead. The count of injured also climbed as ambulances reached hospitals, from 20 in an early Health Ministry count to 34 in state media reporting and then 37 in the latest ministry figures.

Health Ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said 28 ambulances were sent to the scene. Al-Ahram reported that the injured were taken for treatment at a hospital in Giza. Officials have not yet released the names or nationalities of the dead.

Wreckage on the highway

An AFP correspondent at the scene reported that authorities were clearing the highway after the crash. A crane lifted the badly damaged bus, whose entire front section had been torn off, leaving twisted metal and debris at the scene. Passenger seats were scattered along the roadside, and parts of the bus were visible on the rear of the truck.

Authorities have opened an investigation to determine the cause of the collision. No official cause has been announced.

What officials have not said

Reports described the vehicle as a tour bus, but officials have not said who was on board, where the bus was travelling to, or which company operated it. The Health Ministry figures counted the dead and injured without breaking down their ages or where they came from. The Sun reported the ministry count of 37 injured on Tuesday afternoon, the highest figure given so far, after the toll was revised upward several times during the day. Wreckage photographs credited to AFP showed the crane working on the desert highway in Giza as crews lifted the bus clear.

A familiar danger on Egypt's roads

Road accidents are common in Egypt and are often linked to reckless driving, poor vehicle maintenance and weak enforcement of traffic rules. According to the state statistics agency, nearly 6,000 people were killed in road accidents across the country last year.

Tuesday's crash is one of the deadliest road accidents in Egypt this year. Investigators are expected to examine the condition of both vehicles and the stretch of desert highway where the collision happened, a main route for buses and trucks travelling between the capital and the south of the country.