Asia-Pacific

8 American tourists killed in a bus crash in Egypt

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-12-26 18:03

CAIRO- A tour bus slammed into a truck in southern Egypt on Sunday, killing eight Americans tourists and injuring 21 others, the state news agency said.

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MENA said the bus was ferrying a tour group from Aswan to Abu Simbel, the site of an ancient temple complex, when it ran into the truck parked on the side of a single lane desert road. The agency said six women and two men died in the crash.

The bus' Egyptian driver and a guide were also injured in the accident.

Egyptian security officials said the injured Americans were immediately transferred to a military hospital for treatment.

The Great Temple at Abu Simbel was built during the reign of Rameses II and was dedicated to the god Amun. It is considered one of the most beautiful ancient monuments in Egypt.

Road accidents are common in Egypt because of bad roads and poor enforcement of traffic rules, and crashes involving tour groups are not uncommon.

Last month, eight foreign tourists were killed when their tour bus lost control and flipped over several times on a winding mountain road near a resort on Egypt's Red Sea coast, while in October six Belgian tourists were killed in a crash in the south.

An estimated 8,000 people die in car accidents annually in Egypt.