Truck hits tourist bus in Egypt, kills 10 including 4 French

Baku, April 14, AZERTAC

A tourist bus collided with a truck on a highway in southern Egypt and burst into flames on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people, including four French citizens and a Belgian national, according to AP.

Five Egyptians were also killed in the crash, authorities said.

The crash happened on a highway about 43 kilometers (27 miles) south of the city of Aswan, provincial authorities said in a statement. The bus was traveling to the Temple of Esna on the west bank of the Nile River, some 55 kilometers (34 miles) south of the ancient city of Luxor.

At least 14 other passengers on the bus were injured in the crash, including eight from France and six from Belgium, the authorities said.

The five Egyptian fatalities included the bus driver, his assistant and a tour guide, along with two people who were in the truck, the public prosecutor’s office said in a statement. After the collision, the bus veered off the road and burst into flames. An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the crash.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi posted on Twitter that he was closely following the crash and had instructed the government to “provide all medical and treatment care for the victims of the tragic accident.”

The Health Ministry said 30 ambulances were sent to the scene and took the causalities to hospitals. Aswan Provincial Governor Ashraf Attia said the injured were in stable condition.